Reverse – The torque reaction is resolved by removing engine power: closing the throttle or entering auto. The disk fuselage may then follow the rotor direction then due to friction (right pedal needed in auto). Torque reaction shouldn’t be a function of RRPM but an opposite and equal reaction to the power supplied by the engine to overcome total drag.
My understanding is that LTE is independent of RRPM as its cause is unfavourable wind vectors and affects certain aircraft more than others. In the same sense, it’s hard to see how it could occur in nil wind if not in connection with overpitching/running out of power.
Loachy – thanks for the clarification re. numbers: If that is so, then it was always going to be a difficult approach and landing and the pilot was stupid to approach downwind. If that was the only available approach, then it should only have been attempted with less weight and having conducted a power check to assure a sufficient power margin. My [genuine] take on it is than this is basically a power/overpitch problem. The tail boom may have been pushed by the wind and he may have reacted too slowy etc etc: but the odds of running out of power with 4 in an R44, downwind, steep, into a confined area are very high indeed. Of course, this IS speculation: we won't have the facts until the report is out. But as said before, it bears all the hallmarks a dozens of similar R44 crashes.
Re. approach method: TBH it doesn’t really matter if you haven’t got the power to carry it out…