Joby Aviation has introduced an accident throughout flight testing of its market-leading eVTOL plane prototype. Flight monitoring information seems to indicate the plane was being pushed over 270 mph (435 km/h), properly past its marketed prime pace of 200 mph (322 km/h).
The crash was disclosed in an SEC Kind 8-Okay submitting – a report of unscheduled occasions that may very well be of significance to shareholders. The related part reads as follows:
"On February 16, 2022, Joby Aviation, Inc. a Delaware company (the “Firm”) introduced that earlier as we speak one in every of its remotely piloted, experimental prototype plane was concerned in an accident throughout flight testing at our distant flight check base in California. There have been no accidents. Security is a core worth for Joby, which is why now we have been increasing our flight envelope with a distant pilot and in an uninhabited space, particularly as we function outdoors anticipated working situations.
Experimental flight check applications are deliberately designed to find out the bounds of plane efficiency, and accidents are sadly a chance. We can be supporting the related authorities in investigating the accident totally."
Whereas the corporate has but to remark additional on the incident, flight monitoring information could flesh out the story just a little. It appears a Joby prototype, tail quantity N542AJ, was performing a check flight close to Schoonover Airfiled, a US Air Power facility close to Fort Hunter Liggett, southeast of Monterey.
In keeping with the flight monitoring information, the remotely-piloted plane appears to have been pushing well past the anticipated limits of its efficiency. At occasions, the monitoring information exhibits the plane banking into turns at round 240 knots (270 mph, 435 km/h).
@jobyaviation Crew was pushing the boundaries of the #eVTOL yesterday.
— Joby-Aviation-Fan (@JobyInvestor) February 17, 2022
In keeping with Specs JOBY S4 High pace is 200 miles / hour.
Yesterday, They had been persistently pushing the boundaries - many occasions it crossed 230 kt and hitting 240kt (265 - 270 miles / hour )
N542AJ 🙇 pic.twitter.com/gET8aKGVRZ
N542AJ was one in every of two pre-production prototypes issued FAA Particular Airworthiness Certification and US Air Power Airworthiness Approval. It is the older of the 2 – not the model new one rolled out in early January this 12 months. So assuming it is a full write-off, it is definitely an costly setback for Joby – however it occurred means outdoors the anticipated flight envelope, it might reveal precious info on which methods start to fail underneath excessive loading, no one was harm and, whereas it's going to decelerate Joby's certification program, it definitely will not convey it to a whole halt.
What is going to this imply for the eVTOL market? Till this level, Joby has been properly forward of the pack. That is one in every of hundreds of flight assessments the corporate has accomplished whereas many rivals are nonetheless simply getting began. Joby has already set the bar for each the longest and the quickest eVTOL flights – and certainly, the flight information right here would appear to recommend that the airframe has a shocking quantity of pace left in it, if the elements that failed will be improved.
So there's each probability this incident is extra analogous to SpaceX's many spectacular "fast unscheduled disassemblies" than, for instance, the crashes that induced de Havilland to lose to Boeing within the combat for the early jet airliner market. Time will inform.
We have reached out to Joby for additional remark, however we could not hear way more till the official investigation is full.
Supply: SEC
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