flyer43,
OK, maybe I should have qualified what I wrote...so thank you for doing it for me.
Concerning landing if the weather closes in, I've always considered this as one of the great advantages of the helicopter. So, actually, does the CAA; in their Safety Sense leaflet on rotary flying they point out that helicopters have the advantage of being able to land almost anywhere, and advise pilots to land rather than press on in marginal weather. At the school where I got my PPL(H), they suggested that if the weather was such that you had to slow down to less than 60 kts, or fly below 500ft, you should land. That sounds like common sense to me. Of course, some pilots treat such advice as a licence to fly anywhere in any conditions; well, anything can be misused by idiots, can't it?
Concerning the landing on the front lawn of the stately home, I'd checked everything out from the ground, knew that I could approach into the field next to it and hop over the fence, that there were no wires, and that there was plenty of room. and good escape routes. I'd also considered the weather and the direction of the wind. I'd like to think all PPLs who land off airfield know about these things, but pointing them out does no harm.
I have the figures concerning R22 accidents somewhere. Very, very few are caused by engine failure. It is generally known to be an unlikely event, although of course always possible.