Any Info On This?
 

Anybody got any thoughts on this crash video and what might have happened?
Thanks.

Link Here

I think it would be a fairly safe bet to suggest a tail rotor drive failure; you can actually see it slowing down after the initial failure (or did you mean what caused the failure itself?)

This was shown a couple of years ago on this forum so a search might find the thread and any further clues.

My 'thoughts on it', as you ask, would be "glad I wasn't in it!"

Insufficient application of left pedal upon approach to a deck I would say.

This was a Desert Ducks aircraft in the Persian Gulf, only injury was a broken wrist from what I heard. It is assumed to have been a loss of tail rotor drive for some reason.

In other threads...the lack of tail rotor rotation is described as being "strobing effect" by the video camera and not an actual slowing of the tail rotor.

Looking at the sequence of events....it appears intuitively obvivous the tail rotor ceased producing thrust for some reason and the turning rate of turn increases as the aircraft remains in the hover....till it was such a rate or rotation the aircraft could not remain on the deck when the collective was finally dropped to allow the aircraft to touch down.

I see two courses of action available to the pilot. Immediately bottom the collective and chop the throttles and pray you stay on the deck. Or...hold the hover but move away from the ship and execute a hovering autorotation to the water.

Neither one being a really great option. Given the time it takes to recognize the problem and then form your plan then respond...don't know how successful either would be.

Pretty impressive landing I would say.

"Insufficient application of left pedal upon approach to a deck I would say."

I suspect that the left pedal would have been so far forward it was sticking out of the chin bubble, while this was going on!

SASless may well be right (he often is you know!) but consider the facts: the event takes place as an immediate event rather than a progressive build up. The aircraft is in a very stabilised approach with low IAS and V/S and therefore no abrupt applications of power that could catch the pilot out. What could lead to the sudden loss of tail rotor authority?

There might be some scenarios where vortices from the funnel or hangar could have an effect, but not in this case, surely; a gin clear day with no wind? I think if that were the case then the attrition rate of Sea Kings over the last 30 years would have been horrendous and the idea is a non-starter in my mind.

It's mechanical!