A helicopter with a malfunctioning tail rotor will most likely exhibit:

A helicopter with a malfunctioning tail rotor will most likely exhibit:

• A. Stable hover with no yaw
• B. Increasing yaw rate until corrected
• C. Immediate stop
• D. No effect on heading

Answer: (B)

Understanding yaw control is key here: the main rotor’s torque tends to spin the fuselage in the opposite direction, so the tail rotor provides the necessary anti-torque to keep the helicopter steady. If the tail rotor is malfunctioning, that anti-torque is lost, and the unopposed torque causes the aircraft to begin turning about the vertical axis. Because there’s nothing to counteract that torque, the yaw rate will increase until corrective action is taken or the situation is remedied. In a hover or low-speed condition, you’d observe the helicopter twisting and yawing more and more unless you apply opposite rudder input or reduce power to regain control. That’s why the best choice is the one describing an increasing yaw rate until corrective action is possible. The other options imply no yaw, instant stopping, or no effect on heading, which contradict how unopposed torque affects a helicopter’s rotation.

Understanding yaw control is key here: the main rotor’s torque tends to spin the fuselage in the opposite direction, so the tail rotor provides the necessary anti-torque to keep the helicopter steady. If the tail rotor is malfunctioning, that anti-torque is lost, and the unopposed torque causes the aircraft to begin turning about the vertical axis. Because there’s nothing to counteract that torque, the yaw rate will increase until corrective action is taken or the situation is remedied. In a hover or low-speed condition, you’d observe the helicopter twisting and yawing more and more unless you apply opposite rudder input or reduce power to regain control.

That’s why the best choice is the one describing an increasing yaw rate until corrective action is possible. The other options imply no yaw, instant stopping, or no effect on heading, which contradict how unopposed torque affects a helicopter’s rotation.