TET,
Who said anything about flying away with no Tail Rotor Gearbox?
I suppose Huey/Huey Cobra incidents and crashes during the Vietnam War were Military Secrets as apparently many have not heard about some of them.
One example, there there a photo of a Tail Rotor Blade stuck crossways through the Tail Fin of an H Model Huey somewhere.
The Aircraft Commander of that aircraft is still Test Flying Apaches for the US Army down at Fort Hood.
Tail Booms do not always fall off when it happens, Main Rotor heads do not chop off every Tail Boom, and it does not always result in a catastrophic disaster.
There was a Bell 412 that experienced this one night in the GOM. The ride to the water was quite an experience for the Crew but they managed to regain control and ditch with everyone surviving.
Absolutely it could be considered a Phobia but I see it as simply being aware of how a helicopter reacts to various malfunctions.