Safety Analysis of eVTOL Operations based on STPA

Abstract

Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft are expected to be quieter and more cost-effective than helicopters, offering major economic and social benefits through improved connectivity. Their adoption will require new ground infrastructure and airspace redesign, introducing risks involving multiple stakeholders (Regulators, eVTOL operators, Air navigation service providers, Vertiport operators, OEMs, Pilots, etc.). To assess these risks for the UK airspace, systems-thinking based System Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) was conducted. To manage the large number of Unsafe Control Actions (UCAs) and requirements generated due to the complexity of the analysis, a novel extension to STPA for the prioritization of results was applied. 317 UCAs were identified in total out of which 110 high-priority UCAs were analyzed (Step-4), resulting in 377 causal factors and 432 requirements. These were prioritized to produce a targeted list of 124 distinct high-priority requirements, 56 of which were identified as gaps in existing aviation regulations, policies, or procedures.. These highlight opportunities for regulatory updates in areas such as organizational performance, certification processes, training, collision avoidance, energy management, and automation. The findings provide regulators with safety considerations that could shape new or updated regulations, compliance methods, and guidance materials for the safe deployment of eVTOLs.