The Flying Bum for obvious reasons. (Photo : HAV)
The British airship Airlander 10, the world's largest and longest aircraft, crashed during its second test flight at RAF Cardington, a former Royal Air Force station in Bedfordshire, England.
The 92 meter long airship struck the ground nose first, seriously damaging the cockpit slung along the belly of this beast. Thankfully, none of the crew in the cockpit was injured. What isn't known is if there's been any damage to other parts of this monstrous air machine.
This hybrid airship features auxiliary wing and tail surfaces and flies using both aerostatic and aerodynamic lift. It derives power from four diesel-engine driven ducted propellers.
Airlander 10 is officially named Martha Gwyn after the wife of the chairman of Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), the company that owns the aircraft. It is, however, more affectionately called "The Flying Bum" because its rear end with its twin cheeks reminds one of a human behind.
HAV acquired Airlander 10 from the United States Army in 2013 after the latter cancelled its Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) program. In its U.S. Army guise, Airlander 10 was known as HAV 304.
"We're debriefing following the second test flight this morning," said a spokesperson for HAV. "All crew are safe and well and there are no injuries."
Witnesses said the ship appears to have encountered difficulties as it was making its way back to land. A line dangling from the airship apparently hit a telegraph pole and the airship began a nose dive.
Airlander 10 made its maiden voyage on Aug 18 in England. It's being sold for $33 million.
The world's largest aircraft and airship can carry a 10 tonne payload and can remain airborne for up to five days. HAV hopes to be building 10 of these airships per year by 2021
You can see a video of the crash here.
