Vertical Aerospace Shares Details on eVTOL Crash, Gears Up for Crewed Testing

The company explained what went wrong during the August accident, and it plans the next phase of testing for 2024.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, August 31, 2023 at 12:45 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Vertical Aerospace's VX4 eVTOL prototype crashed during uncrewed testing due to a blade failure from degraded adhesive bonding, which then unexpectedly affected the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, leading to a loss of motor power.
The company has identified the root causes and is developing a second, upgraded prototype ("Aircraft Two") with redesigned propellers and a refined flight control system for its next phase of testing.
While Vertical Aerospace asserts its certification activities remain on schedule for a 2026 target, the incident has caused delays to specific testing timelines, and the company faces ongoing funding and competitive challenges.

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Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, awaiting the green light for entry into service, are going through the wringer of flight testing globally in the name of safety. So, on the rare occasion when one crashes, there will be some questions—and an ensuing investigation depending on where the accident occurred.

Vertical Aerospace, whose VX4 preproduction prototype eVTOL air taxi crashed during uncrewed testing last month, has some answers. The U.K.-based manufacturer on Thursday revealed what caused its aircraft to tumble from about 30 feet in the air onto the runway surface at Cotswold Airport (EGBP).