Piasecki Helistat crash - GIF

[Altair]

Piasecki Helistat crash on 1 July 1986.




Previously:

The Hindenburg disaster - video
Piasecki PA-97 Helistat hybrid aircraft - photo
1929 Zeppelin Metal Clad airship - photo
Piasecki HRP Rescuer tandem rotor helicopter - photos
Piasecki X-49 SpeedHawk compound helicopter - GIF

[bob_3000]

Ya, they were building Chevettes and Celebrities around then too.

[hemmjo]

There is more information HERE

I find this line from the article to be most profound, " Criticism has been expressed of the structural qualities and stress analysis of this framework." DUH!!

[tlnixon]

Looks like something built in a high school welding shop.

[hemmjo]

Looks like something built in a high school welding shop.

I would be a little offended by that, but yes I have seem some ugly stuff done in high school. But I would have never let that mess out of my classroom!!! It is difficult to believe that thing was built by a legit contractor.

[tlnixon]

Sorry, no offense intended. One would think that there would have been a working prototype made before they went to the expense of building a real one. I would imagine they lost 4 pilots and whomever else was onboard when it went down as well. Perhaps it was welded with the $29.95 buzz-box welders that used to be advertised in Popular Mechanics decades ago...