• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.59-66
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• 2022

In order to solve the problem of urban traffic congestion, Urban Air Mobility (UAM) concept using Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft has been gaining popularity, and many domestic and international studies are underway. However, since these aircraft inevitably fly over densely populated areas, it is essential to ensure safety, which starts with accurately analyzing the crash risk. In this paper, the locations and impact speeds of crash are computed using six degree-of-freedom simulations of an eVTOL aircraft in a fixed-wing mode. System malfunction was modeled by a sudden loss of thrust with control surfaces being stuck during cruise. Because most of these eVTOL aircraft are still under development, a methodology of constructing a six degree-of-freedom dynamics model from generic specification is also developed. The results show that the crash locations are highly concentrated right under the aircraft within a square that has an edge length similar to the cruise altitude. Speed distribution is more complicated because almost identical crash locations can be achieved by two very different paths resulting in a large variation in the speeds.