To: pa42
It is true; there is no way to tell who initiated the situation that caused the loss of control. In the situation described in your post it would depend on how far the cyclic was displaced after being struck by the wayward hand and how fast the helicopter was flying.
It would also depend on how alert the pilot was in correcting the situation but then again both the pilot and passenger are dead and the remains of the helicopter are all over the place making the accident investigation very difficult and almost impossible to determine what caused the accident. This leaves only one conclusion. Pilot error.
This or similar situations are covered in the R-22 POH in Safety Notice 20. This also sets up the accident investigation conclusions about pilot error.
The reasons for this type of accident lie in the design of the rotorhead. The SFAR and the Robinson safety course never discuss the design problem but they both outline what the pilot must do in order to keep from getting into a loss of control or mast bumping situation.
