eVTOL Safety – Episode 211

Todd Curtis, Greg Feith, and John Goglia discuss the crash of a Joby JAS4 eVTOL aircraft to highlight safety concerns and regulatory challenges. Propulsion units used in eVTOLs pose significant safety risks.

The eVTOL in this crash was being remotely flown during a test flight. The aircraft is powered by six electric motors and is designed to take off and land vertically like a helicopter and cruise like an airplane.

John, Greg, and Todd examine how the design of the aircraft, with a unique configuration of six propulsion units, creates several failure modes that don’t exist for currently certified passenger-carrying aircraft. While no one was injured or killed in this crash, Greg, Todd, and John explore risks evident in the accident. They call on the FAA to consider these risks during the certification process.

Several eVTOL manufacturers, as well as some manufactures of large jet transports, are designing their aircraft for either single pilot or autonomous operation. These designs make it difficult to respond to unforeseen emergencies. Greg and John note the crew responses to several past aviation accidents and how a single pilot or an autonomous system may not be able to deal with those situations.

• Joby flight test crash public docket
• NTSB report of the Joby flight test crash
• NTSB report of the fatal 1989 United Airlines Flight 811 747 cargo door accident
• NTSB report of the fatal 1988 737 fuselage structural failure accident
• NTSB report of the fatal 1991 crash that killed former Senator John Tower
• Dutch government report of the fatal 1992 crash of an El Al 747 cargo plane
• NTSB report of the fatal 1989 DC10 crash involving United Flight 232 in Sioux City
• NTSB report of the nonfatal 2021 engine failure on a United 777