World’s largest aircraft ‘fell to pieces’ after breaking free from mooring

Two people were left injured after the world’s largest aircraft came loose from its moorings, causing it to deflate.

The Airlander-10 broke away from its moorings at around 9:30 a.m. local time on Saturday morning. The ship is designed to immediately deflate in the event of such an emergency, the ship’s owner, Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd, told the BBC.

An eyewitness told U.K. newspaper the Sun that the aircraft “fell to pieces” like a “big gust of wind.”

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He added: “It was tied down slightly further away from the hangers than normal, then almost like a big gust of wind, it split. Made a hell of a noise.”

The £25million Airlander 10, which is the size of a football field, is a hybrid of blimp, helicopter and airplane.

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Hybrid Air Vehicles, says it can reach 16,000 feet (4,900 meters), travel at up to 90 mph (148 km/h) and stay aloft for up to two weeks.

The ship was first tested in August 2016 and crash-landed.