Navigation error sends Nasa's Mars helicopter on wild ride Ingenuity became the first aircraft to make a powered flight on another planet in April. 27 May, 2021 20:41 A navigation timing error sent Nasa’s little Mars helicopter on a wild, lurching ride – its first major problem since it took to the Martian skies last month. The experimental helicopter, named Ingenuity, managed to land safely, officials at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported. The trouble cropped up about a minute into the helicopter’s sixth test flight last Saturday at an altitude of 33 feet. (PA Graphics) One of the numerous pictures taken by an on-board camera did not register in the navigation system, throwing the entire timing sequence off and confusing the craft about its location.