From 8Kun Post: The Fastest Way to Take Down a Helicopter............... Sharing a post from 8kun: Fastest way to take helicopter down - c4 on the drive shaft to tail rotor Fastest way to take plane down c4 on the rudder controls. (JFK Jr.) They've been doing this for decades. (I think this anon is referring to a plastic C4 explosive planted on the aircraft.  I had to look it up:  https://science.howstuffworks.com/c-42.htm) . Earlier today a pilot anon @RecceRat shared this on the GA board: "I'm an ex brit Mil rotary pilot, and listened to the ATC. My take is at the first hold, where he was under SVFR, he was waiting for clearance to enter class C airspace, then north to Van Nuys at or below 2500' and was under a radar service. Then he asked Van Nuys tower for SVFR clearance into class D at or below 2500' reporting he was currently at 1400' (QNH) then ask for a turn SW and gets permission and the controller asks him if he was VFR to which he reports affirmative. The reason the next controller couldn't give him a service wasn't simply he was to low, it was a limitation of the radar in the hilly countryside. So at his very last call he confirmed he was VFR and 1400' (QNH) and must have been in visual contact with the ground? I watched an eye witness say he heard a loud bang then trouble with the tail spinning, indicative of tail rotor control failure. Now if you lose tail rotor hydraulics with little or slow forward airspeed it can be difficult, the key is gaining more forward airspeed and you "run the aircraft" fast on landing (like 50kts) but if it was a catastrophic failure of the tail rotor, forget it you ain't getting it back! I've lost a few mates due to this. The forces involved are huge. Yes the weather was sketchy, but the pilot was instrument rated, in an aircraft with the correct avionics to fly in cloud and he was under a radar service albeit SVFR. If it was that bad, either climb to your MSA or turn back simply land on an open road/freeway or large space. Tail rotor failure is my best guess. May they all RIP." . I found this reference to the same failure on a fatal crash in London.  The culprit?  The helicopter mechanic assembled the parts incorrectly.: https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/243595-fatal-crash-blamed-incorrectly-assembled-tail-rotor-drive-shaft.html JUST IN: No Black box on Kobe's helicopter https://twitter.com/ABC7Veronica/status/1221951973735321600 . Video that shows what happens when the tail rotor fails: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnK9bGCvYtU BREAKING FBI assisting with Kobe Bryant crash investigation https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1221949503479173120