Everlasting Group CEO Deepinder Goyal mentioned his aviation startup LAT Aerospace efficiently demonstrated ultra-short takeoff and touchdown (uSTOL) capabilities throughout a current check flight, despite the fact that the prototype plane later crashed because of identified structural limitations.

In a LinkedIn and X (previously Twitter) submit, Goyal shared footage of the flight of the Lat One v0.1 prototype, describing the check as a deliberate a part of an iterative improvement course of. He mentioned the staff was conscious the plane won’t survive the trial.

“The aircraft crashed a bit later, which we knew was going to occur, and our simulations had already urged so, because of structural defects. Nevertheless, the principle goal of the check flight was to check uSTOL, which was efficiently demonstrated,” he mentioned.

“We’re already constructing Lat One v0.2, which ought to hopefully full a mission,” Goyal wrote. “Making a aircraft take off is just 20% of the issue. Making it land safely is the place the work lies.”

Goyal mentioned the check offered essential learnings for the staff and framed the crash as a milestone relatively than a setback. “General, we discovered a lot from this complete expertise. We are going to come out higher and stronger from this,” he mentioned.

LAT Aerospace was co-founded final yr by Goyal and Surobhi Das as a deep-tech enterprise geared toward reshaping India’s regional aviation ecosystem. In an earlier submit asserting the startup, Das highlighted what she described as underutilization within the sector, noting that India has greater than 450 airstrips, however solely about 150 at present assist business flights.

Das has argued that regional air journey in India stays “costly, rare and out of attain until you reside in a metro,” positioning uSTOL-enabled plane as a possible answer to enhance connectivity to smaller cities and underserved areas.

The startup has not disclosed a timeline for its subsequent check flight however mentioned improvement of the Lat One v0.2 prototype is already underway.

Video of Lat One v0.1 check flight.

uSTOL achieved. Achievement unlocked 🛫

The aircraft crashed a bit later, which we knew was going to occur, and our simulations had already urged so, because of structural defects. Nevertheless, the principle goal of the check flight was to check… pic.twitter.com/vji5oQPC7A

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 4, 2026