ShyTorque
A bolt holding the pitch link broke allowing 1 tail rotor blade to swivel. This lead to that blade flying off into the harbour. This lead to a massive balance problem which caused the other blade and the gear box dropping off into the harbour. This sudden decrease in weight at the rear tip of the 47 caused the forward c of g to be at least 12 " out of its forward limit.
Jim was hovering at around 1000 ft and started to spin straight away. Whether he autoed or not, he now had no practical control of the 47 but as the rotor rpm looked good and as he was an ex RAF pilot, we all believe he did but as I say, it didn't matter anyway.
Incidently his wife was cooking lunch for him on a fine Saturday morning, when the media phoned to ask her what she thought of her husband's accident!
Another ex RAF pilot had the gear box and TR drop off in his 47 in the cruise but this time it swung on the tail rotor cables. The 47 pitched up as it swung back and pitched down as it swung forward. He entered auto and by shear a**e it levelled off as he touched down on a gravel bank in the river Gordon in Tasmania!!
He ran out of fuel in PNG a few months later and killed!
Sorry rambling on but I used to fly for that company.
XE
Yes, TR drive failure = engine failure
Control failure NO