Pioneering solar-powered plane crashes into sea
Solar Impulse 2, the historic solar-powered plane that circled the world without fuel, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico after being converted into a drone
ATT Desk Report
The experimental solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2, which completed a historic round-the-world flight without using jet fuel in 2016, has crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, its current owner Skydweller Aero revealed.
The experimental plane, since converted into an unmanned drone, took off from Stennis, Mississippi on April 26 and ditched into the sea on May 4 in what the company described as a “controlled ditching.”
According to AFP, Solar Impulse 2 originally gained international fame when Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg orbited the globe in 17 stages. The aircraft covered an extraordinary 43,000 kilometers across four continents, two oceans and three seas, accumulating 23 days of actual flying time without consuming a single drop of fuel. That achievement demonstrated the notable potential of solar-powered aviation.
Three years after that record-setting journey, the solar-powered vessel was sold to Skydweller Aero, which converted the aircraft into a drone designed for extended endurance missions, particularly for military applications. In a press release issued Tuesday, the company confirmed the crash into the Gulf of Mexico.
Despite the loss, Skydweller Aero framed the outcome as a validation of the technology. The company noted that the aircraft achieved a record-breaking flight duration of eight days and 14 minutes during a US Navy exercise. “Ultimately, a record-breaking flight of 8 days and 14 minutes validates the reality of perpetual, solar-powered flight in a military mission-relevant environment,” the firm stated.
No injuries were reported as the aircraft was unmanned at the time of the incident. The company has not disclosed whether any wreckage will be recovered or if there are plans to salvage the historic plane. The crash raises questions about the challenges of converting pioneering experimental aircraft for modern drone operations, though Skydweller Aero remains optimistic about the future of perpetual solar-powered flight for military missions.
