bursting the floats
ref Grifffothefog
In 1979, at Aceh, there was a tail rotor in the stage of failing on the way out to one of the exploration rigs offshore. Helicopter was a Puma. I was not the engineer but worked with the man (initial JB) involved. The problem was realized when the mech, sitting in the middle seat saw the (large size) passengers very agitated. One was attempting to jettison the sliding door. The mech made his way rapidly to the cloth cover over the tail boom, kicking the panicking pax hard to stop him releasing the door. Probably without regard to C of G going rearwards he got his head well into the tail boom, and heard very loud, and unusual banging/clatter. He made his way back to the pilot, I don't know if he kicked the passenger on the way back as well. Reporting all was most definitely not well to the pilot. The pilot, a westerner, continued to the rig, but for some reason besides going at a much lower level also decide to reduce speed considerably. (This will load the tail rotor and drive more). The pilot called forward to the rig, who informed him that if he attempted to shut his helicopter down there he would be pushed off the helipad straight away. They would however, send a standby ship and inform others that he was putting down near the rig in the water. The water landing was uneventful, floats and life rafts worked. JB was interested enough in the way the helicopter floated stable with the water, as it should, entering the pax area to several inches deep. He swum around and under the Puma. When the powers that be (western) spoke to him later about this they asked why he had not punctured the floats and saved a costly repair to the aircraft.
Clearly this is a position of damned if you do and damned if you don't.