Full Report:

On August 4, 2009, about 1630 eastern daylight time, a Eurocopter AS 350B3 helicopter, N186AE, was substantially damaged while maneuvering at the Herlong Airport (HEG), Jacksonville, Florida. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) sustained minor injuries and the certificated commercial pilot under instruction was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the instructional flight that originated at Jacksonville Naval Air Station (NIP), Jacksonville, Florida. The helicopter was owned by the US Department of Homeland Security and operated by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as a Public Use flight. According to a CBP representative, the pilots were practicing maneuvers with the hydraulic system turned off, to simulate a hydraulic system failure. The commercial pilot was conducting a practice approach to runway 25, with a transition to a hover, when the helicopter contacted the ground, spun, and rolled over. The helicopter came to rest on the south side of the runway. The fuselage, tail rotor and main rotor drive systems were substantially damaged. Examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Nor did either pilot report any mechanical abnormalities. The CFI reported 2,782 hours of total helicopter fight experience, which included 580 hours in the same make and model as the accident helicopter. The commercial pilot reported 1,154 hours of total helicopter flight experience, which included 12 hours in the same make and model as the accident helicopter. Winds reported at airport located about 5 miles southwest of HEG, at 1550, were variable at 6 knots.