Originally Posted by
212man
But in the longer video it is clear that the break up starts before the MGB detaches, so that doesn't really match that theory - does it? Or maybe I misunderstood?
The critical thing is how long the MGB stayed attached after something broke, if that was the start of the inflight breakup sequence. If the link broke and shunted the MGB out of alignment, it's feasible those forces could have resulted in a sufficient yaw rate to snap off the tail boom when suddenly faced with 80kts of cross wind. Once the tail boom departed the scene the already compromised MGB mounts failed entirely under additional loads and the MGB with rotors still attached departed the scene.