The makers of the blimp claim that no damage was sustained mid-air, and that everything that happened to the cabin was caused by the impact with the ground.
Advertisement
The aircraft has been named the Martha Gwyn and is a plane-airship hybrid.
HAV chief executive officer Stephen McGlennan said the team had been waiting for low winds for the launch but added the airship could “operate very happily” in 80 knots of wind.
“Crew are safe and well and there are no injuries”.
The aircraft successfully completed its maiden flight last week, making a circuit around Cardington Airfield in the United Kingdom, where it is being tested.
The world’s largest aircraft, nicknamed “The Flying Bum”, crash-landed as it returned to its base in Bedfordshire on Wednesday morning, reports suggest.
In a short statement on its website, HAV says “the Airlander experienced a heavy landing”.
The aircraft rose slowly into the air for the first time on August 17 from Cardington airfield, 73 kilometres north of London.
“Airlander sustained damage on landing during today’s flight”, said a spokesman for Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), which is developing Airlander 10. Both flights will factor into its 200 hours of test flights in total. It did not provide an explanation for the crash, albeit investigations by the United Kingdom government’s Air Accident Investigation Branch are now ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
The world’s largest aircraft smashed into a telegraph pole while coming in to land at Cardington Airfield in the UK.
The aircraft was first developed for the USA government as a surveillance aircraft.
It was first developed in 2009 for the USA government as a long-endurance surveillance aircraft but its manufacture was hindered by defence cut-backs.
Advertisement
The aircraft is created to stay in the air for up to five days if manned and longer than two weeks if unmanned.
