on being part of the solution . . .
We seem to be in general agreement that rolling the heli into a ball is not good, nor fun. And that one of the ways it happens is what I'll call here the "powerless touchdown" (P.T.), since EOL obviously has many meanings to the many contributors.
Beyond saying powerless touchdown is dangerous and tricky, how about it we collect here on this thread a training aid: specifically,
A List of Major Avoidable Causes of Damage
in powerless touchdowns.
For instance: is touchdown on an unsuspected lumpy surface a major factor? Can we reduce damages by touching down only on spots we've walked out before going back up to commence auto?
Is failure to get skids properly level just prior to impact a common cause, or do almost no helicrunches result from poor skid-leveling-skills?
How many folks overdo the flare, trying for zero groundspeed, and find themselves with no cushion left? Or with no tail rotor left? How do we get the proper mix of speed-vs-alt-vs-RRPM firmly understood in safer maneuvers & ground training before we commit to a real P.T.?
One suspects that pilots prefer to practice in significant winds (10-20k?) for reduced ground travel, and that last-minute yaw-and-drift leads to rollover--how common is this as the cause-of-crunch? Where in the curriculum do we improve this sub-module of training before having to exercise it at end-of-auto?
And other questions. Post your own; be sure to provide real or imagined answers & statistics where possible.
One assumes that sharing a known explanation for previous accidents with the community will prevent at least one helicrunch, perhaps 10 or 20 helicrunches. Help the industry--share views on the Prevention as well as the Problem.
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By the way, who will be the first to advertise a rental/instructional special low rate on 20-30 consecutive powerless touchdowns USING A RUNOUT R22? If hull value is down to $35,000 just before airframe overhaul due, seems like THAT would be the ship to use; cut a special deal with the insurance company to concentrate all the school's autos in that ship. And create a brisk market for 2000-hour R22's, too!
(Personally, I don't practice powerless landings solo--it seems too much to me like cutting mixture on BOTH engines of AMEL for dead-stick practice. $160,000 risk for infinitesimal gain! Like buying Enron, or landing in White House front yard without flak vest.)