And then, the rotor broke off
To: Where are you now?
In 1976 or there abouts you were an American pilot working for Bristow Helicopters on assignment to The Imperial Iranian Air Force teaching students to fly helicopters. On one training assignment you wanted to demonstrate autorotation. The student was slow to respond and you lost rotor speed. You dove the helicopter to build up rotor speed and at the same time you tried to engage the engine but it wouldn’t connect as the freewheeling unit had been damaged during two compressor stalls that had gone unreported. You made a successful run-on landing and while the rotor was spooling down you filled out some paper work. It was at that time the mast fractured and the rotor came off hitting the pylon and then the stabilizer bar came crashing through the right side of the fuselage. You and you student were the first flight crew to survive a mast separation on a Bell helicopter or, for that matter any helicopter
Please note, if the stabilizer bar penetrated several inches further forward you would not be able to respond to this post.
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The Cat