The world's largest aircraft, the Airlander 10, was damaged on Wednesday, Aug. 24 after it crash-landed at the end of its second test flight.
The 300-foot-long aircraft nosedived on its return to an airfield in Eastern England after spending more than an hour and a half in the air.
Its maker Hybrid Air Vehicles, a privately-held UK company, said that no one on board the hybrid airship was hurt. It did not provide an explanation for the crash, albeit investigations by the UK government's Air Accident Investigation Branch are currently ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
The company also said that all the planned tasks had been completed during the flight. A spokesman said that the flight actually went well and the only issue occurred when the aircraft landed.
"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 said in a statement.
The company assured that it follows a robust set of procedures for flight test activities and investigation of issues. It also denied claims about a line hanging down from the aircraft that hit a telegraph pole about two fields away from the landing area.
Airlander completed its first test flight last week but it too was not free of incident. The maiden flight was postponed for three days because of a technical problem. When the aircraft took off following hours of delay, it only managed to stay in the air for 20 minutes instead of the intended 90 minutes.
The aircraft was originally designed for the U.S. military's surveillance but the project was grounded in 2013 because of defense spending cuts. Hybrid Air Vehicles managed to raise $4.4 million through crowdfunding campaigns and received grant and funding from the European Union and the UK government.
Airlander uses four engines and has no internal structure. Pressure from 38,000 cubic meters (1.34 million cubic feet) of helium inside its carbon fiber-made hull helps maintain its shape. The aircraft is designed to stay in the air for up to five days if manned and longer than two weeks if unmanned.
"It will fulfil a wide range of communication, cargo-carrying and survey roles in both the military and commercial sectors all with a significantly lower carbon footprint than other forms of air transport," Hybrid Air Vehicles said of the aircraft.
