Originally Posted by
tartare
Well in this case it appears he might have.
I'd like to think so, but the reality of sudden TR drive failure at 200' with high power and low airspeed, and at night, the world outside starts spinning at such a rate that you can't comprehend what's outside, and you have no sensible directional control of the helicopter, and no amount of conscious effort will head you where you might wish to go. You just arrive at the scene of the accident wherever the course of events takes you. Even the most skilled pilot almost becomes a passenger. The best you can hope for is to drop the collective to the floor, shut off the engines, apply collective when ground contact is imminent, and do your best to keep it upright with cyclic. You most certainly will not be able to steer it in any direction of choice if it is spinning all the way down. If you have height and speed in your favor then you have more options.