Piasecki H-16

H-16 / PV-15 Transporter
The US Air Force prototype Piasecki YH-16-PH Transporter (s/n 50-1269). The program was abandoned after the crash of the second prototype
Role Tandem-rotor transport helicopter
National origin United States
Manufacturer Piasecki Helicopter
First flight 23 October 1953
Primary users United States Air Force
United States Army

The Piasecki H-16 Transporter was a tandem-rotor transport or rescue helicopter designed by Frank Piasecki and built by Piasecki Helicopter initially as the PV-15. The prototypes were evaluated by the US Air Force and US Army, but the crash of the second test aircraft led to cancelling the project.

Contents

Test Aircraft Crash

In early January 1956, the second YH-16 test aircraft crashed while returning to Philadelphia from a test flight over New Jersey. The cause of the crash was later determined to be the aft slip ring, which carried flight data from the instrumented rotor blades to the data recorders in the cabin. The slip ring bearings seized, and the resultant torque load severed the instrumentation standpipe inside the aft rotor shaft. A segment of this steel standpipe tilted over and came into contact with the interior of the aluminum rotor shaft, scribing a deepening groove into it. The rotor shaft eventually failed in flight, which in turn led to the aft blades and forward blades desynchronizing and colliding. The aircraft was a total loss, the two test pilots, Harold Peterson and George Callahan, were killed. This led to the cancellation not only of the YH-16, but also the planned sixty-nine-passenger YH-16B version.[1][2]

Variants

XH-16A
Powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2180 radial engines.
YH-16A
Powered by two Allison T38-A-10 1,800 shpturboshaft engines; previously designated XH-27.
YH-16B
Powered by two Allison T56-A-5 2,100 shp turboshaft engines.

Operators

 United States

Specifications (H-16)

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See also

Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

Related lists

References

  1. ^ http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/piasecki_h-16.php/
  2. ^ Harding, Stephen (1997). U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947. Atglen, PA, USA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd.. pp. 202. ISBN 96-69996. 

External links

Piasecki/Vertol helicopters

PV-2 · PV-3/HRP · H-16 · H-21 · H-25/HUP
Piasecki Aircraft

16H · PA-39 · VZ-8/PA-59 · PA-97 · X-49
USAAC/USAAF/USAF/Joint Service Helicopter designations 1941–
Numerical sequence used by USAAC/USAAF/USAF 1941–Present; US Army 1948–1956 and 1962–present; US Navy 1962–present
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Prefix R-, 1941–1948
Prefix H-, 1948–1962
H- with a mission prefix 1962–present

R-1 • R-2 • R-3 • R-4 • R-5/H-5 • R-6/H-6 • R-7 • R-8 • R-9/H-9 • R-10/H-10 • R-11/H-11 • R-12/H-12 • R-13/H-13/OH-13/UH-13J • R-14 • R-15/H-15 • R-16/H-16 • H-17 • H-18 • H-19/UH-19 • H-20 • H-21/CH-21 • H-22 • H-23/OH-23 • H-24 • H-25/UH-25 • XH-26 • H-27 • H-28 • H-29 • H-30 • H-31 • H-32 • H-33 • H-34/CH-34 • H-35 • (H-36 not assigned) • H-37/CH-37 • (H-38 not assigned) • XH-39 • H-40 • H-41 • H-42 • H-43/HH-43 • (H-44 and H-45 not assigned) • CH-46/HH-46 • CH-47 • UH-48 • H-49 • QH-50 • XH-51 • HH-52 • CH-53/HH-53/MH-53 • CH-54 • TH-55 • AH-56 • TH-57 • OH-58 • XH-59 • UH-60/SH-60/HH-60 • YUH-61 • XCH-62 • YAH-63 • AH-64 • HH-65 • RAH-66 • TH-67 • MH-68 • (H-69 not assigned) • ARH-70 • VH-71 • UH-72
1962 redesignations
reusing old numbers

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