You got two Huey stories there. Small arms going off inside the aircraft, that could happen. Keep muzzles pointed outside was the rule.
But that initial maintenance test flight! When you say rotor & gearbox locked up, do you mean the transmission or the 90 degree/45 degree gearboxes?
Did someone forget to check the sight gauges on the trans & tail rotor? How hard was the landing? I would like to know even though you must have made it out safely.
No ‘small arms’ involved.
He was the last guy in the Huey during a hot evac and ended up in the door gunner position. They were taking some fire so he grabbed the 50 cal and started talking back.
About that time, the pilot seeing incoming heavy fire from the port side, lifts and rolls starboard to head out.
My friend, still firing, falls against the 50’s handles, pushing the muzzle up. And since someone had removed the interlocks, he chewed right through the rotor.
The pilot managed to rock it back onto the skids, and everyone made it out to another chopper.
He said he’s still waiting for a bill from the Army.
And far as mine, I don’t remember exactly what the main cause was. They had done an acceptance flight a couple of days before with no problems.
But when we lifted off the main rotor locked, and we of course, skewed sideways and rotated about 180 degrees before impacting on the right side nose, crushing in the cockpit.
I never got belted in and was thrown out before impact. Luckily I landed in a bunch of bushes and was only shook up.
By the time I got back to the wreckage it was on fire. We managed to get everyone out but the pilot before the flames took over, but I don’t think he survived the impact.
I ended up with burns on the left side of my face, the backs of my hands, and my lower legs. But lucky, compared to the alternative, I guess.