The world’s largest aircraft, Airlander 10, crashes on second UK test flight

The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch is to investigate the crash on Wednesday this week of the world’s largest aircraft, the Airlander 10. On only its second UK test flight, at the end of the test flight the aircraft ‘nosedived’ at Cardington Airfield, Bedfordshire, extensively damaging the cockpit, though fortunately nobody was injured. During the short flight a mooring line attached to the aircraft hit a UK Power Networks power line according to the aircraft’s manufacturer, Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), who also confirmed that “No damage was caused to the aircraft and this did not contribute to the heavy landing.”
At 92m in length, 44m wide and 26m in depth, the £25m (US$33m) aircraft is capable of travelling at speeds up to 92mph and the numeral in its name is derived from the payload it can carry – 10 tons. The aircraft is approximately 15m longer than the largest current passenger jet and obtains its aerial buoyancy through the use of helium to inflate it. Part airship, part plane, the Airlander 10 has auxiliary wing and tails surfaces and is powered by four diesel engine-driven ducted propellers.
The Airlander was originally a project developed in the UK for the US army, with its inaugural test flight taking place in Lakehurst, New Jersey, in August 2012. Intended as a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (it can remain airborne for up to 5 days) and classed as a Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), it was anticipated the HAV34, as it was initially named, would be able to provide target acquisition, reconnaissance and intelligence surveillance support for ground troops. However, US defense cutbacks saw the project cancelled in February 2013.
With plans for an Airlander 50, a 50-ton heavy cargo transporter in the pipeline, HAV purchased the HAV34 from the US government for $301,000 minus the project’s technical data, computer software, and helium, to assist it in the development of the Airlander 50. The aircraft was deflated and transported back to the UK, whereupon it was reassembled and underwent its first successful UK-test flight which lasted for 30 minutes on August 17.