Contributor - Asia

Jennifer Meszaros

XPeng AeroHT has released no further details regarding the crash involving two of its X3-F eVTOL aircraft at the Changchun Airshow earlier this month. On September 16, the Chinese company indicated to state-owned media outlet Yicai on that the aircraft, which serve as the flying “air module” component of the Land Aircraft Carrier, collided during a formation rehearsal.
One vehicle landed safely, while the other caught fire on the ground after sustaining fuselage damage. While XPeng reported that all personnel involved were safe, unverified social media reports suggested that at least one person was taken to the hospital. An accident investigation is underway.
However, the accident did not appear to disrupt the broader event. The five-day Changchun Airshow and People’s Liberation Army Air Force aviation open day concluded on September 23, featuring performances by J-20 stealth fighters and J-10C aerobatic jets, aerial refueling demonstrations with YY-20A tankers, and static displays of uncrewed systems.
<h2>Land Aircraft Carrier Program Continues</h2>
Meanwhile, the Land Aircraft Carrier program’s 2026 timeline appears to remain on track. Speaking during a roundtable session at the Phoenix Bay Area Financial Forum 2025 in Guangzhou on September 23–24, XPeng AeroHT’s co-founder and chief designer, Wang Tan, outlined the company’s three-step strategy. &nbsp;According to media covering the event, he noted that public experiences of low-altitude flight, including flight camps, are planned once the Land Aircraft Carrier enters mass production and begins deliveries next year.
The second step for the program focus on developing long-range tilt-rotor aircraft, likely the X5 model unveiled last year. Xpeng has said this will be a six-seat eVTOL with a planned maximum speed of 195 knots and a range of over 270 nm. It is aimed at intercity travel and is expected to enter production within five years.
Looking further ahead, Wang described the third phase as an integrated flying car capable of both road travel and vertical flight. Although a prototype has been built, current engineering constraints and battery limitations restrict its flight time to just three minutes, he said.
Meanwhile, in the absence of detailed information, online discussion of the Changchun accident has remained relatively quiet. Some media reports suggested that XPeng AeroHT holds a special flight permit from Chinese regulators, but the company has not appeared to publicly announce one for the X3-F, as it did for the two-seat XPeng X2 back in 2023.
The air module’s type certificate application, however, was accepted last March in the light sport aircraft category under Chinese Civil Aviation Regulations Part 21. Draft special conditions, released for public comment this year, restrict the aircraft to daytime visual flight rules for private recreational use and flight training, with no approval for commercial passenger transport.
The accident occurred after CEO Zhao Deli announced the launch of the test pilot team and the start of large-scale test flights on August 5. On September 10, XPeng AeroHT secured a special flight permit in the UAE for crewed X3-F tests and announced a partnership with the Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority to advance flight test certification and explore potential application scenarios.
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