Horror Box, I don't think the helmets necessarily saved the lives of Henry nor his crewman. There was no cyclic stick in the rear cabin, and Henry is/was quite a bit taller than Tom, so different seat stroke geometry, and had the controls in his hands, which may have influenced where cyclic was relative to body as his body reacted to seat stroke.
What I was trying to point out was
that even with a helmet, you can still get a blow to the head that will be an obstacle to your surviving the crash. (Had Tom and Henry ended up over dry land with as firm a landing, Tom would have lived thanks to not breathing in water after impact).
However, having flown numerous aircraft, all with helmet, I got used to it and was also grateful for the many improvements over the years in lightening the helmets ... which helped mitigate neck and back strain due to vibration loading on the body in helicopters. (Different topic, of course).
The decision to ditch will never be an easy one, and never be completely black and white. It will be a complex analysis of many factors and a decision based on an assessment, not least of which is "what gives us all the best chance of survival?"
Very well said.
