Unmanned blimp crashes in Greene County
An unmanned blimp, apparently larger than blimps that fly over sporting events, crashed in a wooded area in Gilmore Township, Greene County, on Wednesday.
State police said the prototype blimp, which was launched shortly before 6 a.m. in Akron, Ohio, crashed in the woods off Route 18 shortly after 8 a.m.
The massive airship, which is owned by Lockheed Martin Corp., was launched in a trial run as part of a military project.
Lockheed-Martin is a technological-based company that produces advanced aeronautic systems and computer software and is a primary contractor for the U.S. military.
The U.S. Army Space and Missile Command and Lockheed Martin said prior to the release of the helium-filled, unmanned airship that the solar-powered blimp — technically called the High-Altitude Long Endurance Demonstrator or HALE-D — had been delayed for years because of federal funding problems.
The test flight was intended to take the blimp, which is 240 feet long and 70 feet in diameter, as high as 60,000 feet over central Ohio, but operators encountered difficulties that forced the airship to crash land in the wooded area of Greene County.
According to Lockheed Martin officials, if the concept is successful and receives additional funding, the airship’s mission would be to improve the military’s ability to communicate in remote areas.
The airship is intended to hover over one place for weeks, if not months, at 60,000 feet.
No one was injured as a result of the accident and no property damage was reported, police said.
A recovery crew from Lockheed Martin was at the crash site Wednesday afternoon.
Police said officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and Greene County Emergency Management Agency as well as volunteer firefighters from several Greene County department were also at the scene Wednesday afternoon.
Some background information courtesy of the Akron Beacon-Journal.