I am trying to figure out whether or not he was in control of the aircraft as he descended. Main rotor seems to be turning, likely (if a MANPAD is what got him) weapon impact was aft of, or in the aft portion of the cabi.
I base this on where the smoke seemed to be coming out.
(Was engine on the right side shot off? Was it on fire? Spiraling flight path makes it hard to figure out. Were both engines hit?)
Was he flying in a circle in the belief that he'd be dodging missiles (or a further missile?) on the way down?
Was the pilot hit? Was there damage to the control linkage?
Was his tail rotor no longer providing anti torque (i/e severed shaft/cables/servos)?
Was he trying to autorotate down?
A lot of flying questions that the explosion rendered moot rather suddenly.
As an ex-helo jock, that one hits rather close to home.
Last edited by Lonewolf_50; 18th Oct 2012 at 17:34.