The world's largest plane crashed into the ground

The world's longest plane, worth $32 million, crashed into a field in England after slipping off its moorings.

Airlander crashes headfirst into the ground. Photo: South Beds News Agency.

The Airlander 10, a hybrid aircraft that is part plane, part airship, crashed into a field in Bedfordshire, England, after the ropes that tied the back of the aircraft to the ground came loose, the Mirror reported yesterday. Engineers rushed to secure the aircraft, which had undergone a series of major upgrades since the crash last summer.

Airlander crashed during test flight late last year

"We were walking through a field when we suddenly saw the back of the plane lift off the ground. The plane had been in the open for two weeks and was tied to the ground, but the ropes at the back came loose and the plane crashed. It looked like a strong wind had loosened the ropes," said witness Paul Britton, 44, of Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, England.

Airlander takes off for the first time

Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), which built the giant aircraft, said the incident was completely routine. The aircraft had been refurbished after the crash in a Bedfordshire field during its second test flight in August last year. No one was injured in the accident but the cockpit was destroyed, leaving the 84-metre-long aircraft to undergo extensive repairs in a hangar in Cardington.

The new design includes two giant inflatable airbags that are stowed away during flight, protecting the cockpit during landing. HAV calls them the landing assist system.

This is one of several changes introduced following the accident when the Airlander flew too high and the plane's mooring system became entangled with power lines, according to a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

The airbags that allow the plane to land safely at greater angles are over 3 metres long and hold 15 cubic metres of air. Engineers spent three years working on the Airlander 10. The plane can hold up to 37,000 cubic metres of helium, enough to fill 15 Olympic swimming pools. The Airlander 10 is 98 metres long, 15 metres longer than the largest passenger plane in existence.

HAV has added a new, more robust and flexible mooring system and an automated mooring system. The company hopes to have the Airlander flying again by the end of this month. It also plans to build a larger aircraft capable of carrying 50 tons of cargo and enter service in the early 2020s, using non-flammable helium.

According to VNE