The tail section was severed with the blade strike.	Mean looking 30 deg bend in the main shaft.	Overall shot of the body with the bent main shaft.
Close up of just below the swashplate where the fuse top was torn up.

Crashes are just apart of this hobby and I have had my share of them. This particular crash was special because of what led up to it rather than just how it happened. On this day, I learned why main shafts need to be carefully heat treated. It all started when I wanted to increase the height of the rotor head on this UH-1N Huey. The stock Xcell gas mechanics fit quite well inside but the rotor head was just a little too close to the top of the mechanics to be scale. I took it upon myself to have a longer main shaft made.

After I received the new main shafts, installed them and completed the linkage adjustments it was off to the field for its first flight. Everything seemed fine as the Huey was hovering ... for a few seconds, then it happened. The tail section separated from the rest of the model and the violent dead chicken dance started. Thankfully, I was close to the ground and got it down before it tore itself to pieces.

I now have a greater respect for model manufacturers and prefer to purchase my main shafts.

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