A US$35 million lighter-than-air dirigible was damaged and leaked helium after part of a hangar roof collapsed.
The incident occurred on Monday at one of the second world war-era blimp hangars on the grounds of a former Marine air base in Tustin, California.
"There's a giant hole in the roof," Orange Country Fire Authority Captain Steve Concialdi said. A hazardous-material crew was called and the leak was stopped, he said. No one was hurt and the damage to the dirigible was repairable, a spokesman for developer Worldwide Aeros said.
The cause of the collapse was not known, but debris was believed to have fallen on the airship, which is more than 60 metres long. When fully developed, it will be capable of carrying 66 tonnes of cargo.
The US Defence Department and Nasa have invested US$35 million in the prototype because of its potential to carry more cargo than any other aircraft.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Hangar roof falls on experimental blimp
