| Yes I remember that news clip of the Bell 47G very well, the cameraman filmed all the way down to his inevitable death...the reason being then those heli's were not capable of autorotations like the more modern machines.
Even today Tail rotor failure can still be a disaster but it does depend on how the heli is being flown at the time, normal forward speed and height and you have a good chance of bringing it on an an autorotation...ie power off to the main rotors to get rid of the torque effect and let the rotors keep spinning and basically bring the heli in like a glider flaring out at the end. If you are in the Hover when the tail goes then this is far more critical as it will depend on the height & airspeed you are at when it goes, if you have enough altitude you may just get away with an autorotation landing, if you are too low, forget it...!! you will crash in...!!!
Anyone remember the RAF Rescue Heli from 22 Sqn at RAF Valley Crashing into Lake Padarn in Llanberis a few years ago...?? They were practically slowing to a hover over the lake when the tailrotor gearbox went and they went down like lead balloons. I remember the news reporters on tv covering it saying the cause of the crash was not known when first reported, but if you watched the footage on tv you could see instantly the tail rotor had suddenly slowed down dramatically indicating classic tail failure...as they were so low the pilot could only try and ditch his machine into the water which he did, the crew survived but unfortunately the poor air cadets on board did not (if I remember rightly 3 of them died)...not so much from the smash but more from drowning after the heli ditched into lake...The Heli then was a Wessex, 22 Sqn changed over to Sea-kings not long after that incident.
Regards........Mark |