If a Drill's Clutch doesn't properly align the gears, can it cause the Chuck to loosen?

Question

So I was using my hammer drill to drill into some masonry when I ended up hitting the clutch to a lower setting. When this happened, the trigger remained pulled for a moment, but the bit nor the chuck rotated. I assume the clutch didn't align the gears properly.

So I rotated the chuck until it seemed it popped in place, and ran it for a second in that gear - all seemed well. I switched the clutch back to the hammer setting and rotated the chuck for the click. When I went back to drilling, the drill spat the bit at me and dinged me pretty good.

The drill's chuck isn't keyless, or at least I haven't tightened it without the key. Is what I've described an indication that the clutch loosened the chuck or should I be worried the drill is damaged? I went back and put the bit back in and had no more issues for a few more holes before I was finished.

Oh, and I was wearing safety glasses and the manual of the drill mentions nothing about the clutch. /Norm.

Answer 1

That was a close one! I would surmise from your description ("The drill's chuck isn't keyless, or at least I haven't tightened it without the key") is the cause of the spitting drill chuck. I too am guilty of being in a hurry and trying to save every second and bypass the chuck wrench. The other issue may have been caused if your drill has a High and a Low speed setting. If the lever is placed in between the two speeds the gears (as you have mentioned) may not mesh. The resulting grinding sound is not a pleasant one. I've had a similar scenario using a DeWalt 18V Cordless Hammer drill.