Originally Posted by
SASless
It takes very little to fatally score a drive shaft.
One dark and stormy night (as were all winter nights on the Brent Field) I chanced the first landing on a new trolley on the Treasure Finder, which put the front of the 212 out over the edge of the deck. During shut down there was a hefty gust of wind which rocked the slowing blades enough for the TR Drive Shaft to be cut through by the tip of one blade. The cut through the drive shaft was as neat as if it was done on a bench with a fine saw, yet there was not a mark on either blade tip.
If something caught on the 139 TRDS it wouldn't have taken much to weaken and sever the shaft IMO.