Earlier this morning the first test flight of our fixed-wing prototype ended with a crash landing just south of the runway that caused significant damage to the airframe. Thanks to the strong construction of the wings and fuselage, the majority of the impact was absorbed by the aircraft as designed and the pilot, KSA Commander Valentina Kerman, survived the landing with heavy bruising. At this time we are assembling a team to investigate what caused the crash while the wreckage from the crash is brought back to the HAB for further analysis. The aircraft’s Telemetry Data Unit has been successfully recovered and will provide vital details in analyzing the performance of the aircraft during its test flight, in addition to video footage shot during takeoff and landing.
We commend Commander Valentina on her handling of the aircraft and congratulate her on the success of being the first kerbal to fly a powered fixed-wing aircraft in over 200 years. Regardless of what may have happened, today remains a historic day and the entire team at C7 Aerospace Division are proud to share in this achievement.
