Deepinder Goyal says LAT Aerospace plane crashed during test flight: Knew it was going to happen

'We learnt so much from this entire experience,' Deepinder Goyal said after the plane crash. 'We will come out better and stronger from this.' (Image credit: Deepinder Goyal/X)

Zomato and Eternal CEO Deepinder Goyal has shared that the prototype aircraft developed by his newly backed aviation startup LAT Aerospace crashed during its maiden test flight, even as it successfully demonstrated its core ultra-short take-off and landing (uSTOL) capability.

Sharing a video of the Lat One v0.1 test on X, Goyal said the aircraft managed to achieve uSTOL — the primary objective of the test — before going down shortly after. According to him, the team already anticipated the crash based on pre-flight simulations that flagged structural defects in the prototype. “The plane crashed a bit later, which we knew was going to happen,” he wrote, adding that the early-stage failure was “built into the learning curve.”

Goyal emphasised that the crash did not undermine the technical milestone achieved during takeoff. “Making a plane take off is only 20 percent of the problem. Making it land safely is where the work lies,” he said, noting that the team had already begun building Lat One v0.2, which aims to complete a full mission.

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

LAT Aerospace, which Goyal co-launched last year along with cofounder Surobhi Das, is positioned as a deep-tech bet to transform India’s regional aviation landscape. In her earlier LinkedIn post announcing the venture, Das highlighted the huge gap between India’s aviation potential and current utilisation. “India has 450+ airstrips — but only 150 see commercial flights,” she wrote, describing regional air travel as “expensive, infrequent and out of reach unless you live in a metro.”

Goyal has reportedly invested $20 million of the startup’s roughly $50 million raised so far. The company has already begun hiring aerospace engineers, systems designers and aviation specialists to accelerate development.

In his X post, Goyal said LAT Aerospace’s ambition is long-term and structurally transformative. “We learnt so much from this entire experience. We will come out better and stronger from this.”