BTW wasn't an HH-65 lost in the Pacific after its basket caught on the railings of a ship and the cable snapped up unto the rotors? That would be unlikley with a winchman?
Not exactly. The device in use had nothing to do with the mishap. Also, the cause of the mishap is not what you have heard (nor is it what I first heard, which are probably essentially the same thing). I've read the final report, though I haven't seen the raw engineering data.