World's largest aircraft crashes on its second attempt at flight
The world's largest aircraft's second attempt at flight didn't go nearly as well as its first. A week after the Airlander 10 successfully completed its maiden flight, the 302-foot-long aircraft took a nosedive while attempting a second test flight Wednesday. The aircraft, nicknamed the "Flying Bum" because of its rounded backside, reportedly hit a telegraph pole while it was landing at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire, located in south-central England.
"The flight went really well and the only issue was when it landed," a spokesman told BBC. The crew is reported "safe and well," but the Airlander 10 wasn't so lucky. Reports indicate the aircraft's "front and sides," as well as its cockpit, were damaged in the botched landing, Sky News reported.
The aircraft, which measures about 50 feet longer than the world's largest passenger jet, is a hybrid between a helicopter and a blimp, as it's filled with helium. When Airlander 10 is fully up and running, it's expected to be able to stay in the air for up to five days.
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