Airlander goes down nose-first
The world’s largest aircraft suffered cockpit damage after nosediving while landing on its second test flight, but there were no injuries, says its manufacturer, Hybrid Air Vehicles.
The 92m-long Airlander 10, part helicopter and part airship, came down at Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire, southeast England.
The aircraft was initially developed by the US Government as a surveillance vehicle, but production was shelved as part of government cutbacks. Hybrid Air Vehicles launched a campaign to get the aircraft in the skies, and hopes to have the craft in production by 2021, possibly for surveillance, communications and passenger travel.