I suspect that that has been burnt out for months or even years and kept working until a loop of wire caught the magnets and ripped it apart.

Nearly all these machines are pushed too hard, I think someone should think about altering the tail pivot angle as nobody seems capable of making a tail light enough to furl safely with the suggested angle.  Using something other than half a sheet of plywood may work with the suggested angle but it seems to be the chosen material.

The heat goes down with the current squared so if you can get it to furl at 70% of the previous current it will probably survive indefinitely.