Norway's New Electric Plane Crashes During Demo Flight

"This is not good for the work we do."

Mayday

Norway unveiled its first battery-powered plane during a demo flight before a high-profile crowd on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, for reasons that are not yet fully known, Reuters reports that the Alpha Electro G2 plane crash-landed in a lake. Though no one was hurt, the crash represents an inauspicious start for the country's plan to electrify all domestic air travel within 20 years.

Taking A Dip

The plane only carried a pilot, Dag Falk-Peterson, CEO of Avinor, the state-owned aviation company, and one pilot, junior government minister Aase Marthe Horrigmo. Reuters reports that Another passenger, Environment Minister Ola Elvestuen, rode the aircraft during a more successful flight earlier in the day.

It remains unclear whether the crash landing was due to inherent flaws with a battery-powered system or some other glitch.

"I made a mayday call and looked for a place to land," said the pilot, per Reuters. "This is not good for the work we do."

READ MORE: Norway's first electric plane crash-lands on lake [Reuters]

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