A Russian friend recently related how an Mi-8 in Afghanistan encountered severe vibrations after being shot at from above by the Afghans. They had to land and shut down, and discovered it was because one of the 5 blades was missing about 4 feet of blade. With the Afghans closing in (and it wasn't to invite the Russians for tea, as we know), they decided to get out a hacksaw and cut off the appropriate amount from the other blades. I assume they jettisoned some other things too, but were able to get home!. .One of the many untold stories from Afghanistan.