Solar Impulse 2 to make unscheduled stop in round-the-world attempt

Plane likely won't be able to stop again until Hawaii

In this Sunday, May 31, 2015 file photo, Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg waves from the aircraft Solar Impulse 2 before taking off at Nanjing Lukou International Airport in Nanjing in eastern China's Jiangsu province. (Chinatopix via The Associated Press)

Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg took off from Nanjing, China, on Sunday on what was to be the longest leg of the journey, a five-day, 8,175-kilometre (5,079-mile) flight to Hawaii.

A solar plane attempting to fly around the world without a drop of fuel plans to make an unscheduled stop Monday night in Nagoya, Japan, because of bad weather.

Instead, the Solar Impulse 2 will land in Nagoya in central Japan, organizers said.

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Japanese Transport Ministry and Nagoya airport officials confirmed that they are making arrangements for an unanticipated landing at Nagoya Airport.

Elke Neumann, a spokeswoman for the Solar Impulse project, said from Nanjing that the team first noticed the bad weather pattern about 36 hours ago.

"We thought we might go through it," she said. "But between Japan and Hawaii there's no place to stop."

The safety of the pilot and the plane are a priority, so the team decided to wait out the weather in Japan, she said.

The plane will land after scheduled flights at the airport end around 10 p.m.

Solar Impulse 2 needs room to land, so it generally avoids times when commercial flights are operating, Neuman said. The plane also usually lands at night, because the winds tend to be lower. It needs wind to be no more than 10 knots, she said.

"We are a little bit sad, because everything's functioning perfectly: The batteries are charging, there's enough sun, the pilot is in good health, he's in good condition — it's all working well," Neumann said.

The journey started in March in Abu Dhabi, and the plane has stopped in Oman, India, Myanmar and China. The flight from Nanjing to Hawaii is the seventh of 12 flights and the riskiest.

"This is the exploration leg of the flight around the world. It will be an important milestone for aviation with an airplane capable for the first time ever to fly with unlimited endurance. This represents an extraordinary illustration of technological innovation which André initiated and led during the last 12 years," says Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse Chairman, initiator and pilot. - AP