<p>The world's largest aircraft crashed today in eastern England during its second test flight since being revamped in the United Kingdom.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Airlander 10, the 92-metre-long part plane - part helicopter, part airship - was damaged after reportedly hitting a telegraph pole at its base at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire.<br /><br />"The flight went really well and the only issue was when it landed," said a spokesperson for Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), the firm behind the USD 33-million aircraft.<br /><br />"We're debriefing following the second test flight this morning. All crew are safe and well and there are no injuries," an HAV statement on Facebook said.<br /><br />The Airlander, christened Martha Gwyn, was first developed for the US government as a long-endurance surveillance aircraft, but the British firm launched a campaign to return the craft to the skies after it fell foul of defence cutbacks.<br /><br />It is nearly 15 metres longer than the biggest passenger jets and uses helium to become airborne, travelling at speeds of up to 92mph, the 'Guardian' reported.<br /><br />The Airlander successfully completed its first test flight without incident on August 17.<br />It performed one lap of the airfield before landing about half an hour later.<br /><br />HAV claims once it clears all tests the aircraft could be used for a variety of functions such as surveillance, communications, delivering aid and even passenger travel.<br /><br />The company hopes to be building 10 Airlanders a year by 2021 and says the huge aircraft will be able to stay airborne for about five days during manned flights.<br /><br />It is also hoped an Airlander 50 will eventually be developed, which will be able to transport 50 tonnes of freight. <br /></p>
<p>The world's largest aircraft crashed today in eastern England during its second test flight since being revamped in the United Kingdom.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Airlander 10, the 92-metre-long part plane - part helicopter, part airship - was damaged after reportedly hitting a telegraph pole at its base at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire.<br /><br />"The flight went really well and the only issue was when it landed," said a spokesperson for Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), the firm behind the USD 33-million aircraft.<br /><br />"We're debriefing following the second test flight this morning. All crew are safe and well and there are no injuries," an HAV statement on Facebook said.<br /><br />The Airlander, christened Martha Gwyn, was first developed for the US government as a long-endurance surveillance aircraft, but the British firm launched a campaign to return the craft to the skies after it fell foul of defence cutbacks.<br /><br />It is nearly 15 metres longer than the biggest passenger jets and uses helium to become airborne, travelling at speeds of up to 92mph, the 'Guardian' reported.<br /><br />The Airlander successfully completed its first test flight without incident on August 17.<br />It performed one lap of the airfield before landing about half an hour later.<br /><br />HAV claims once it clears all tests the aircraft could be used for a variety of functions such as surveillance, communications, delivering aid and even passenger travel.<br /><br />The company hopes to be building 10 Airlanders a year by 2021 and says the huge aircraft will be able to stay airborne for about five days during manned flights.<br /><br />It is also hoped an Airlander 50 will eventually be developed, which will be able to transport 50 tonnes of freight. <br /></p>