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Wednesday 24 August 2016 1:18 pm

Airlander (AKA the flying bum) has crashed

By: Lynsey Barber

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Airlander, the British aircraft which is the longest in the world and also happens to be nicknamed the "flying bum" plane because of its appearance, has had a minor crash.

The Airlander 10 was damaged during the landing of only its second ever test flight. No one was injured but there was damage to the cockpit underneath the craft.

Watch: Airlander 10 slowly crashes to the ground

The 92m long craft worth £25m is being brought to the skies by Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) and took off for the first time last week in Bedfordshire.

The project has been part funded by a round of crowdfunding which raised more than £2m earlier this year, while the frontman of Iron Maiden Bruce Dickinson is also an investor. It was first developed for the US military but is now being commercialised.

Read more: Watch this stunning captain's-eye view of landing a plane in London

The hybrid aircraft combines different technologies to fly – including helium as well as traditional aircraft systems. It's low carbon and can fly for up to five days straight.

"Airlander sustained damage on landing during today's flight. No damage was sustained mid-air or as a result of a telegraph pole as reported," said HAV in a post on Facebook.

Watch: Airlander 10's first flight

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