The hydrogen propulsion system emerged unscathed from the crash of a test platform in the UK according to development company ZeroAvia.
ZeroAvia was using the converted Piper M-series to test hydrogen systems as a power source for electric engines when the aircraft crashed near Cranfield UK on 29 April.
The aircraft had completed a forced landing off-airport when the left main gear and wing struck a mound, substantially damaging the aircraft. All on board got out safely.
"The structural integrity of ZeroAvia systems was maintained throughout the incident sequence and there were no unintended hydrogen or electrical releases and no fire," ZeroAvia said after the incident. "After the landing, the crew were able to safeguard the battery and safely release hydrogen from the onboard tanks, following ZeroAvia safety protocol.
"No fluid leaks were observed at the time; and full data logs were preserved and will be used in our investigation."
ZeroAvia has not released a cause of the accident and are conducting an internal investigation, but is confident they can minimise disruption to the development program.
"This incident and the ensuing investigation will undoubtedly disrupt our 6-seat HyFlyer demonstration program that was coming to an end in the following weeks," the company states. "However, we do not expect any negative impact on our commercial-intent HyFlyer 2 program targeting 10-20 seat aircraft, or our large-engine development program targeting 50+ seat aircraft."
ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric powertrain is projected to have lower operating costs than jet-fueled aircraft due to lower fuel and maintenance costs. The company plans to control hydrogen fuel production and supply for its powertrains and other commercial customers.