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RobotRisk / Joby / 2022-02

Joby eVTOL prototype destroyed after in-flight propeller blade failure

S4 · 02/2022
09:58 PT · Joby · near Jolon, CA, USA

Record

CompanyJoby
Categorydrones evtol
Typecrash
Date02/2022
Time of day09:58 PT
Locationnear Jolon, CA, USA · Joby flight test site
SeverityS4 (serious injury, total loss, or grounding)
Scale1 prototype aircraft (total loss)
Confidencehigh
VerificationYes - adversarially checked against the cited source
SourceFlightGlobal / NTSB

What happened

A remotely piloted Joby JAS4-2 pre-production eVTOL prototype broke apart mid-air near Jolon, CA after a propeller blade separated near the root during a high-speed dive (181 knots) in envelope-expansion flight testing, causing cascading loss of multiple propulsion units and total loss of the aircraft; no injuries (uninhabited area, no pilot aboard).

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