Historic Swiss solar-powered plane crashes into sea

Solar Impulse 2 took off from Stennis, Mississippi, on April 26, but crashed into the Gulf of Mexico on May 4

AFP

Published May 14, 2026

The Solar Impulse 2 solar-powered aeroplane flies off Kapolei, Hawaii, on March 3, 2016, on an all-day test flight. — AFP

The experimental plane Solar Impulse 2, which completed a historic round-the-world trip in 2016 without using jet fuel, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico recently, its owner revealed.

Flown by Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, Solar Impulse 2 circumnavigated the globe in 17 stages, covering a remarkable 26,700 miles (43,000 kilometres) across four continents, two oceans and three seas, in 23 days of flying without using a drop of fuel.

Sun-powered plane Solar Impulse 2 HB-SIB is seen during its first exit for test on April 14, 2014, in Payerne, a year ahead of their planned round-the-world flight. — AFP

Three years after the globe-trotting flight, the solar-powered vessel was sold to Skydweller Aero, which converted the aircraft into a drone to carry out "controlled ditching," the company said in a press release issued Tuesday.

Skydweller Aero said Solar Impulse 2 took off from Stennis, Mississippi on April 26 but crashed into the Gulf of Mexico on May 4.

"Ultimately, a record-breaking flight of 8 days and 14 minutes validates the reality of perpetual, solar-powered flight in a military mission-relevant environment," the company said, in reference to a US Navy exercise in which the vessel was used.

The US National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the accident.