Lessons Learned From an Electric Airplane Accident

Investigators make safety recommendations after ZeroAvia’s forced landing.

Thom Patterson

Monday, July 11, 2022 at 01:22 PM ET

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The accident occurred as the modified Piper Malibu Mirage lined up for landing. [Courtesy: AAIB]

Key Takeaways:

ZeroAvia's electric Piper Malibu Mirage made a forced landing in April 2021 after losing power when its inverters locked out during a power source switch, triggered by unexpected feedback from windmilling propellers.
The accident was attributed to insufficient ground testing for such conditions, a cluttered cockpit display that hindered pilot awareness, and organizational shortcomings, including uninvestigated prior power losses and unapproved changes to flight test plans.
ZeroAvia has since robustly addressed the identified issues, implementing new safety measures, improving organizational culture, and embedding key learnings into future technical designs to enhance electric flight reliability and safety.

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Leading electric airplane developer ZeroAvia says it has “addressed robustly” many issues contributing to an accident of a modified Piper Malibu Mirage (PA-46-350P) propelled by two electric motors.

In the April 2021 event, the airplane lost power during a flight test, causing a forced landing just outside Cranfield Airport (EGTC), in Bedfordshire, England. Neither member of the two-person flight crew was injured in the accident.