The GlideLite Model 55X ran into some delays last week, the nose gear of the only prototype collapsed on landing during one of the hard landing tests. The 55X has to undergo some major maintenance and should be delayed from service for an unknown time.

GlideLite released their statement about the incident claiming that the incident was caused by pilot error.

The spokesman for GlideLite, Thomas Lincoln, stated at last night’s press conference, “The incident of the Model 55X Is believed to be caused by the pilot cutting power too early. That caused the nose to drop and the nose to hit the ground before the main gear. The aircraft bounced after its main gear hit the ground, but instead of going around, the pilot pushed the nose down even more, causing the nose gear to collapse, damaging the airframe. Luckily, it was not a hull loss, but it did come very close to one. If it had hit the ground any harder, we might have had to cancel the program. We do not know how long it will take to repair the aircraft, however, hopefully we expect it to be soon. The current status of the incident’s test pilot’s job is classified for now, and will not be released to the public.”