I've been thinking about 'to come a cropper' -never wondered about it's derivation before, but it is used as sophocleese said about a bad fall. So here is what Brewer's Dictionary says about it:

Cropper He came a cropper: He fell head over heels. To get a cropper: To get a bad fall. "Neck and crop" means altogether, and to "come a cropper" is to come to the ground neck and crop.

This also made me think about 'he's gone for a Burton'. I remember something about it being WW2 RAF usage- anyone fill in the details please?

Noreen