Two flying cars crashed into each other during a rehearsal for an airshow in northeastern China, injuring one of their pilots and forcing one of the vehicles to the ground, where it caught fire.
Videos circulating online and featured in Chineses state-run media showed plumes of smoke billowing from one of the vehicles, while fire trucks and ambulances raced to the scene.
The accident occurred Tuesday afternoon in Changchun, Jilin Province, as the city prepared for a five-day airshow set to begin Friday. The flying cars, or electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, were developed by Xpeng Aeroht, a subsidiary of Chinese electric vehicle giant Xpeng.
In a statement to CNN, the company said the collision took place because of “insufficient spacing,” and one vehicle “sustained fuselage damage and caught fire upon landing.”
“All personnel at the scene are safe, and local authorities have completed on-site emergency measures in an orderly manner,” it said, adding that an investigation is underway.
A company employee, who asked not to be named as they were not authorized to speak publicly, told CNN that the two vehicles had been performing high-difficulty stunts in close formation. One pilot sustained minor injuries, the person added.
The eVTOL vehicles sit at the heart of China’s plans to build a “low-altitude economy,” a sector that spans flying taxis, drone deliveries and other applications in airspace below 3,000 meters.