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Old 2nd Jul 2012, 18:49
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Capot
 
Join Date: May 2007
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On a more sensible note than my post earlier, I was involved years ago in the aftermath of a very nasty accident when a Bell 212 (I think) suffered a stopped rotor at 1,000ft over the Gulf (near Das) with 14 SOB or thereabouts. My task involved, among others things, listening to the ATC tape, which was dreadful.

The point struck me then, and still does, that what would be a minor problem in a FW aircraft very easily becomes a fatal one in a helicopter. On that occasion the rotor brake malfunctioned and caused the gear box to freeze, as I recall, which for a helicopter is the same as the wings coming off a fixed wing aircraft if an engine stops.

It's the vulnerability to upsets that makes a helicopter intrinsically less safe (note; NOT unsafe) than fixed wing. I have been in a number of auto-rotations, deliberate and unwanted, and give me a FW forced landing every time.
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