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The Rushed Airship
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Science Gone WrongJun 17, 2026

The Rushed Airship

The Rushed Airship October 5, 1930. Near Beauvais, France. The British R101 was the world's largest airship. Its maiden voyage to India had been postponed for years. Designers added 46 feet of length weeks before flight. They skipped final trials. Lord Thomson, Air Minister, insisted on launch. It crashed into a hillside before dawn. He died with 47 others.

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Source

Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine, articles on the R101 disaster; Nevil Shute's autobiography 'Slide Rule' (1954)

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