Improved crash worthiness?
My back of the napkin design for a more crashworthy helicopter is a one piece carbon fiber shell that is bolted to the gearbox. (the same way F1 cockpits are simply bolted to the transmission)
In a crash, chances are that the cockpit would break free of the rest of the airframe and tumble around rather than suffer the gearbox twisting itself into the cockpit.
As I see it the current designs could be better, as they have to cushion the engine and gearbox as well as cockpit.
Making the cockpit a breakaway design would (wild a little luck) leave all of the energy absortion for the preservation of the carbon life forms.
Perhaps this crash is evidence that such a design could have merit?
Mickjoebill