Originally Posted by
Fonsini
Newbie question here, so please forgive my ignorance.
All the tailrotor failures I have seen training videos of, invariably seem to show a high sink rate often accompanied by a spiralling nose down attitude until impact.
Is there a best practice recommendation for cyclic and collective use in such a situation, or are you really just along for the ride at that point?
Well, looking at the title of your post, if all tailrotor failures were "Unrecoverable" there would be no Emergency Procedures called for. Just as there are no "Wing Falls Off" checklists in fixed wing nor "Loss of Main Rotor" in helicopters.
There are procedures that must be carried out...initial actions are "Memory Items" Reaching for a checklist as you spin like a Kid's top will not lead to a optimal outcome.
You must be fully aware of the initial actions and carry them out.
FYI I had a friend who had the tailrotor and gearbox of a Hughes 500 depart the airframe in cruise flight ..he got it down OK ..his underwear and seat cushion were unrecoverable!