Massive experimental aircraft developed by hypnotist crashes off US coast

"The Solar Impulse 2, a long-range experimental aircraft, crashed in the Gulf of Mexico when it lost power during an unmanned test flight on May 4, a report from the National Transportation Safety Board said. There were no fatalities or injuries. Developed by entrepreneur André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, the sun-powered plane has undertaken several successful test flights since it was developed in 2015. The solar-powered aircraft circumnavigated the world in 2015 and 2016."

""The Solar Impulse team is saddened by the loss of an important technological flagship," the company said in a statement released on Friday. Solar Impulse said the plane had been taken over by Skydweller Aero, an Oklahoma company developing autonomous aircraft, which heavily modified the Solar Impulse 2. The plane was lost during one of these unmanned flights."

"The slender, fixed-wing single-engine aircraft is described by Piccard as symbolic - it's not meant to carry passengers and instead represents a potential clean energy solution to fossil fuels, according to his website. Per the BBC, the solar-powered aircraft's wingspan measures 72 meters, making it wider than a Boeing 747."

Solar Impulse 2, a long-range experimental solar-powered aircraft, crashed in the Gulf of Mexico after losing power during an unmanned test flight on May 4. The National Transportation Safety Board reported no fatalities or injuries. The aircraft had completed successful test flights since development in 2015 and later circumnavigated the world in 2015 and 2016. The Solar Impulse team stated it was saddened by the loss of a technological flagship. The plane had been taken over by Skydweller Aero, an Oklahoma company developing autonomous aircraft, which heavily modified Solar Impulse 2. The aircraft is described as symbolic rather than passenger-carrying, representing a potential clean energy solution. Its wingspan is 72 meters, wider than a Boeing 747.

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