N17VH

The 38-hour helicopter student pilot stated he intended to practice hovering maneuvers over a grass apron adjacent to a taxiway at the airport. The pilot reported that while in the process of changing directions, while hovering at a skid height of 18 inches off the ground, the left landing gear skid came in contact with the ground and he was unable to stop or correct the rollover. The main rotor blades of the experimental single-engine helicopter were destroyed when the helicopter came to rest on its right side. The pilot, who held a private certificate in airplanes single-engine land, reported he had accumulated a total of 1,986 hours. In a narrative statement submitted by the pilot he added that "the accident was due solely to pilot error and did not involve any other aircraft, person, vehicles, or property."