Hanneke Weitering is a writer and editor with AIN covering advanced air mobility and new flight technologies. She became an aviation journalist and joined the AIN team in the summer of 2022 after reporting on spaceflight and astronomy for six years at Space.com. After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she moved to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in science, health, and environmental reporting at New York University&#039;s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. She is now based in Seattle near Boeing Field and spends her free time exploring nature in the Pacific Northwest.

Science & Technology Editor

Hanneke Weitering

Public demonstration flights of Lift Aircraft's Hexa eVTOL vehicle at the Osaka-Kansai World Expo in Japan have been temporarily suspended following an April 26 incident in which the single-seat model suffered an apparent mechanical failure.
The piloted multicopter was flying at an altitude of 10 meters on approach to the Expo Vertiport at approximately 3 p.m. local time when one of its 18 propellers broke, damaging the structure that connects it to the aircraft’s fuselage, according to the Flight Safety Foundation’s <a href="https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/502280">Aviation Safety Network</a>.
After a loud cracking sound, two motor covers fell to the ground, according to the ASN report. Nobody was injured, and no ground damages were reported. The Hexa safely landed back at the Expo Vertiport as planned, with the broken propeller still dangling from its backside.
Despite the broken propeller, the aircraft appeared to remain stable during the approach and landing—a testament to the safety and efficacy of its redundant flight control and propulsion systems.
The Hexa, developed by Austin, Texas-based Lift, is one of several eVTOL aircraft slated to participate in public flight demonstrations at the six-month-long World Expo event, which opened to the public on April 13. In partnership with local operator Marubeni Corporation, Lift performed its first World Expo demo flight on April 14. Japan’s <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2025-04-10/skydrive-flies-evtol-air-taxi-prototype-osaka">SkyDrive opened the event</a> with the debut of its three-seat SD-05 eVTOL air taxi.
Lift started the flight demonstrations in Osaka on April 14 as a prelude to launching further flight operations in the city this summer, with the intention of giving prospective customers for the personal eVTOL vehicle the chance to train to fly the Hexa. The company has not yet commented on the incident and how it might impact these plans.
Marubeni is also a prospective operative for the four-passenger VX4 eVTOL aircraft being developed by the UK's Vertical Aerospace. In 2021, it signed what was described as a <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/news-article/2021-09-22/verticals-evtol-order-book-tops-1350-aircraft-japans-marubeni-signs">"pre-order option"</a> for 200 examples of the aircraft, which is now expected to enter service in 2028. Vertical has indicated that it plans to demonstrate a VX4 prototype during the World Expo in October.

U.S. companies Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation also intend to demonstrate their respective four-passenger eVTOL aircraft at the event, but those flights have not yet been scheduled.
While World Expo attendees may not see the Hexa fly again anytime soon, they will have the opportunity to experience the flights virtually in full-motion VR flight simulators that Lift is showcasing at the event.
Lift Aircraft designed the Hexa single-seat electric multicopter to operate under the FAA's Part 103 rules for powered ultralight aircraft, which do not require type certificates. It is also developing <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2024-10-02/lift-near-earth-develop-casualty-evac-pod-us-army">an autonomous cargo-carrying variant</a> for the U.S. Army.

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Single-seat multicopter landed safely after the incident

Public demonstration flights of the single-seat Hexa eVTOL aircraft at the Osaka-Kansai World Expo have been temporarily suspended following an April 26 incident in which the aircraft suffered an apparent mechanical failure.

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