The aircraft, acquired by Skydweller Aero in 2019 and converted into an autonomous long-endurance platform, crashed after a loss of power. It was equipped with approximately 17,000 photovoltaic cells on its wings.
Solar Impulse 2
Image: Milko Vuille, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
From pv magazine Mexico
The experimental solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2 crashed on May 4 in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Mississippi during an unmanned test flight operated by Skydweller Aero.
Preliminary information from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicates the aircraft lost power shortly after takeoff from Stennis International Airport and went down in international waters near Bay St. Louis. There were no fatalities or injuries, as the flight was uncrewed.
Developed by Swiss aviation pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, Solar Impulse 2 was originally built as a demonstrator for solar-powered flight. Between 2015 and 2016, it completed the first circumnavigation of the globe by a fixed-wing aircraft powered solely by solar energy, covering approximately 42,000 km over 17 legs.
The aircraft was sold in 2019 to Skydweller Aero, which converted it into an autonomous, long-endurance platform for surveillance, communications and testing applications across civilian and defense programs. It retained a wingspan comparable to that of a Boeing 747 and was equipped with around 17,000 photovoltaic cells integrated into its wings.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no final determination on the technical cause of the crash has been released. Preliminary reports point to a loss of power prior to impact, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft.
While the crash marks the end of the specific airframe that achieved a milestone in solar aviation, the Solar Impulse project remains a reference point for demonstrating the feasibility of long-distance, fossil-fuel-free flight.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
More articles from Luis Ini
Please be mindful of our community standards.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment *
Name *
Email *
Website
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.


Δ
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.
Legal Notice Terms and Conditions Data Privacy © pv magazine 2026
Δ
This website uses cookies to anonymously count visitor numbers. View our privacy policy. ×
The cookie settings on this website are set to “allow cookies” to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click “Accept” below then you are consenting to this.
Close

source