Originally Posted by
lelebebbel
I would think that they didn't know they were missing tail rotor blades, otherwise I can't imagine they would've chosen Camel Point. The reduction of tail rotor thrust may not have even been all that apparent until final approach.
Yes, I think we can assume that they would have diverted to an airport if they'd had any clue.
There was an AS365 (Aero Contractors) in Nigeria that had a loud bang after departing from a riverside helipad (Agip's Brass Terminal). They misdiagnosed it and shut and engine down then returned and lost control on short final, bounced off the pad and into the river - because the actual failure was a fenestron blade detaching, and the rest of the blades then shredding themselves on the shroud. Can't recall the fatality count, but included both crew.