Deepinder Goyal's LAT Aerospace plane crashes after demonstrating uSTOL; says, 'We knew this would happen'

Eternal Group CEO Deepinder Goyal said his aviation startup LAT Aerospace successfully demonstrated ultra-short takeoff and landing (uSTOL) capabilities during a recent test flight, even though the prototype aircraft later crashed due to known structural limitations.

In a LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) post, Goyal shared footage of the flight of the Lat One v0.1 prototype, describing the test as a planned part of an iterative development process. He said the team was aware the aircraft might not survive the trial.

“The plane crashed a bit later, which we knew was going to happen, and our simulations had already suggested so, due to structural defects. However, the main objective of the test flight was to test uSTOL, which was successfully demonstrated,” he said.

“We are already building Lat One v0.2, which should hopefully complete a mission,” Goyal wrote. “Making a plane take off is only 20% of the problem. Making it land safely is where the work lies.”

Goyal said the test provided critical learnings for the team and framed the crash as a milestone rather than a setback. “Overall, we learned so much from this entire experience. We will come out better and stronger from this,” he said.

LAT Aerospace was co-founded last year by Goyal and Surobhi Das as a deep-tech venture aimed at reshaping India’s regional aviation ecosystem. In an earlier post announcing the startup, Das highlighted what she described as underutilization in the sector, noting that India has more than 450 airstrips, but only about 150 currently support commercial flights.

Das has argued that regional air travel in India remains “expensive, infrequent and out of reach unless you live in a metro,” positioning uSTOL-enabled aircraft as a potential solution to improve connectivity to smaller towns and underserved regions.

The startup has not disclosed a timeline for its next test flight but said development of the Lat One v0.2 prototype is already underway.

Video of Lat One v0.1 test flight.

uSTOL achieved. Achievement unlocked 🛫

The plane crashed a bit later, which we knew was going to happen, and our simulations had already suggested so, due to structural defects. However, the main objective of the test flight was to test… pic.twitter.com/vji5oQPC7A

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 4, 2026