Airlander 10's second test flight, which took place this morning, ended with the giant airship nosediving into the ground. The cockpit was damaged, but Hybrid Air Vehicles says the crew members are "safe and well."
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HAV told Ars that the flight lasted for 100 minutes and that it "completed all the planned tasks." HAV said the incident was not an unplanned dealtitudinal craft-terrafirma conflict, but rather "a heavy landing" as the craft returned to Cardington Airfield.
HAV said it will now run through a "robust set of procedures for flight test activities and investigation of issues" to work out what went wrong. We'll update this story when the company releases more info.
The BBC has some photos of the incident, and an observer caught it on video, below.
Footage of the Airlander 10's rough landing.
This post originated on Ars Technica UK
Listing image by Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
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