Airlander 10:Helium-Filled Airship Crashes After 2nd Test Flight in Bedfordshire, UK
The 302-foot-long aircraft, which is reportedly the world’s largest aircraft, did a nose-dive landing on its return to an airfield north of London. Hybrid Air Vehicles said the front deck was damaged.
According to the report from Daily Mail, Airlander 10, or dubbed as “flying bum” due to its bulbous front end, is an hybrid between air blimp and airplane.
Video footage of the accident shows the aircraft approaching the landing site nose-first before hitting the ground and levelling out. It then comes to a standstill soon after.
We're debriefing following the second test flight this morning. All crew are safe and well and there are no injuries.
— Hybrid Air Vehicles (@AirVehicles) August 24, 2016
A spokesman for Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), which is developing Airlander 10, said: “Airlander sustained damage on landing during today’s flight.”
He added: “We’re debriefing following the second test flight this morning. All crew are safe and well, and there are no injuries.”
“All crew are safe and well and there are no injuries.” It also denied reports the craft hit a telegraph pole, stating the damage occurred upon landing.
A full statement from HAV said:
Today the prototype Airlander 10 undertook its second test flight and flew for 100 minutes, completing all the planned tasks before returning to Cardington to land. The Airlander experienced a heavy landing and the front of the flight deck has sustained some damage which is currently being assessed. Both pilots and the ground crew are safe and well and the aircraft is secured and stable at its normal mooring location. Hybrid Air Vehicles runs a robust set of procedures for flight test activities and investigation of issues. We will be running through these in the days ahead as we continue the development of the Airlander aircraft.
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