Report Reveals Why The Airlander Really Crashed

Airlander

The official report's out today from the Air Accident Investigators - who say the reason the £25million Airship suffered it's slow-mo crash landing near Bedford last summer - was a mis-calculation.

There's more news this morning about the world's largest aircraft - the Bedfordshire housed Airlander.

The official report's out today from the Air Accident Investigators - who say the reason the £25million Airship suffered it's slow-mo crash landing near Bedford last summer - was a mis-calculation.

After a failed 1st attempt at landing - its' mooring line was hanging free - ground staff told the pilot it was around 50 foot long - when in fact - its more than 3 times that length - and snagged power cables before it hit the ground.

Airlander 10, which is part plane, part airship and the length of a football pitch, was damaged after nosediving at the end of a test flight at Cardington Airfield on August 24 last year.

Manufacturer Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) said earlier this week that the aircraft is fit to return to the skies now its damage has been repaired.

A new landing system, which will allow it to return to ground from a greater range of angles, and a redesign to allow easier recovery of the mooring line, are among a host of changes.

First developed for the US government as a long-endurance surveillance aircraft, HAV launched a campaign to return it to the sky after it fell foul of defence cutbacks.

The Airlander 10, so named because it can carry 10 tonnes, is 302ft (92 metres) long, 143ft (44 metres) wide, 85ft (26 metres) high and can travel at 92mph.

It is about 50ft (15 metres) longer than the biggest passenger jets and uses helium to become airborne.

The manufacturer claims it could be used for a variety of functions, such as surveillance, communications, delivering aid and even passenger travel.