When you're developing something as complex and ambitious as a flying car, you've got to expect a few hiccups along the way – and Slovakia-based AeroMobil certainly experienced one last Friday, when its AeroMobil 3.0 prototype crash-landed.
According to a statement issued by the company, the aircraft was on a test flight in Slovakia on May 8th, when inventor and pilot Stefan Klein "encountered an unexpected situation" – according to some sources, this situation was in fact a tailspin. Klein responded by activating the vehicle's ballistic parachute system at an altitude of approximately 300 m (900 ft).
The company states that the parachute "proved itself fully functional and landed the entire vehicle without any injury to the pilot." The aircraft itself didn't fare quite so well, and will reportedly require the replacement of some damaged parts before further test flights can resume.
"In the process of developing new vehicles, especially in the prototype phase, the possibility and likelihood of an unexpected situation is a natural part of the testing program," says AeroMobil. "This is a learning period which allows us to detect and subsequently refine our design."
Source: AeroMobil via Popular Science
