In a major setback for proponents of alternative energy, the solar-powered plane Solar Impulse crash landed in a Swiss pasture at about 9:30 PM local time yesterday during a distance record attempt. After piloting the plane throughout the day without incident, test pilot Andre Borschberg was faced with a sudden loss of power just after sunset. Borschberg, an experienced fighter pilot with the Swiss Air Force, was able to glide the disabled plane into the remote farm field, walking away from the wreck with only minor cuts and bruises.

“Someone forgot the batteries,” sighed Bertrand Piccard, a ground crew member for the project. “The last time we ordered one of these planes, it came with batteries. We figured this one would too. We really gotta watch that shit from now on.”

Lithium storage batteries are necessary to provide energy for the plane’s engine and avionics during nighttime when the wing-mounted solar cells no longer generate power. The plane uses 11,240 rechargeable AA cells to supplement the solar panels.

Despite a few tense moments aloft, Borschberg handled the in-flight emergency with skill. “The sun dropped below the horizon and suddenly the prop stopped turning and my instruments went dark,” said the pilot. “That sure put a spot on the front seat!”

Still, Borschberg was not happy with the blunder.

“It would’ve been nice if the factory put a label on the shipping crate…like ‘batteries not included’ or something,” added the disgruntled test pilot as he helped crews pick up pieces of debris strewn about the field. “Do we have to go to Radio Shack and get the damn things ourselves?”

Officials at Ohm aerospace, the plane’s manufacturer, offered no comments on the mishap, other than to say that the plane “must’ve been built on a Friday.” A similar incident occurred last year when a solar plane made by the company had to be ditched off the coast of South Africa shortly after dusk. It was discovered that a worker at the Ohm plant had installed the batteries backwards.