Originally Posted by
PDUK
Reports that a helicopter has crashed into the Hudson near to Pier 40. Video footage shows rotors not moving and it falling from the sky. Reported five fatalities.
Main rotor was clearly rotating/spinning, when it hit the water - complete with transmission. Tail separated before. Severe mast bumping would most probably cause mast breaking. My guess is, that tailboom was cut off by main rotor, then transmission separated. If you snap cyclic back on 206, mast bumping is inevitable, possibly with tailboom cutoff.
Happened to pilot I know well - he instinctivelly pulled back when terrain suddenly appeared in front of helicopter - tailboom cut off, hit the ground, skids torn off, but transmission held so he was able to autorotate (kind of) and both occupants survived with some bruises - after tailless and skidless helicopter "landed", overturned on its side, shattering M/R pieces all around.
Another one I am intimate with: (luckily on ground) pilot instinctively pushed cyclic stick forward, so no tailboom strike, but everything up from cabin roof was overhauled/replaced. (mast and M/R hub replaced, transmission overhauled, transmission mounts replaced. Aft transmision mount (flexible-rubber) was almost torn away)
My five cents guess: an instinctive overreaction on imminent collision with something (birdstrike, drone strike....) 206 is otherwise a sturdy, reliable machine. I worked on them many years. 206L has different transmission mounts, that I am not familiar of, but if it is a "nodal beam" principle, it is much more complex than simple A-frame on 206B - that probably can`t handle so much abuse as basic Jet Ranger transmission mount can. Obviously, tail was chopped off first, than main rotor with main transmission departed - my hypothesis explains that sequence. We will need to wait for NTSB report to, hopefully, know for sure.. R.I.P.