N9023ZBrantly B-2B · 2001

According to the pilot during an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the purpose of the flight was to practice approaches and hovering. As the helicopter neared the ground, he pulled collective to enter a hover when it began to rotate clockwise. He was unable to stop the rotation and the helicopter made two full rotations prior to impacting the ground. The passenger reported that the helicopter impacted the ground "hard, but not too hard." The helicopter bounced, rolled over, and came to rest on the left side of the fuselage, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor blades, the fuselage, and tailboom. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. In addition, the pilot stated that the passenger was "ride[ing] along" on the flight controls.

The pilot was practicing solo 180-degree autorotations in preparation for a private pilot helicopter add-on rating. During the accident autorotation, the helicopter was in a left turn at an altitude of 500 feet above ground level(agl). The helicopter exited the turn "a little low and lost some rotor speed." While attempting to recover the low rotor speed, the pilot had to extend his glide path more than he anticipated due to approaching terrain and obstacles, which in turn slowed the forward airspeed. The pilot reported, "Of course I wish I had abandoned the auto at this point. I flared [the helicopter] but with high density altitude and the out of ground effect of the soybeans, I still entered the thick-drilled soybeans, which piled up on my right skid." The helicopter then rolled over and came to rest on its right side. Examination of the helicopter revealed the main rotor blades were destroyed and the fuselage was buckled. No mechanical anomalies were noted with the helicopter.