An unmanned, remote controlled airship, launched from Akron, Ohio, crash landed Wednesday morning, just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The High Altitude Long Endurance-Demonstrator, also known as HALE-D, was designed by Lockheed Martin, based out of Akron. It launched just before 6:00 a.m. at the air dock in Akron.
According to Lockheed, the airship reached an altitude of approximately 32,000 feet, however, a technical anomaly prevented the airship from attaining its target altitude of 60,000 feet. That is when the HALE-D team decided to terminate the flight. The aircraft crash landed into the woods just after before 8:30 a.m. in Greene County, Philadelphia.
Lockheed Martin is in the process of recovering the airship and will conduct a full evaluation. The airship was supposed to land in central Ohio and was never going to be used again. The company says it is pushing the boundaries of aviation, and has learned a valuable lesson.
In all, Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors has delivered more than 8,000 aerostats for military and commercial uses.
Lockheed’s contract with the U.S. military meant the company was able to build the eight new airships to the tune of $130 million.
Source:Fox 8 Cleveland