bcg, autorotation in any helicopter is energy management, without power. An autogyro has power from the forward thrust of the engine, so a different kettle of canaries.
Regardless of rotor configuration a helicopter in auto has height, airspeed and rotor RPM (RRPM) as three 'reservoirs' of energy which are traded off against each other to bring the machine into a low/zero speed touch down with airspeed and height traded off to put all remaining energy into RRPM, which is then bled off to reduce ROD and cushion the touchdown. That cushioning would increase the thrust from the rotors and create a downwash.
The article describing the incident is a journalistic exercise and shouldn't be taken as an accurate report; not least because there would have been two pilots sharing the load, not (as implied) CWO Abshier imitating a one-armed coat hangar who 'cut off the fuel/release a suppressant into flaming engines to prevent a mid-air explosion'. Later he is reported as having 'yanked the nose up', etc: really?