SAE Update - February 2025 - 37

STANDARDS &
COMMITTEES
the introduction of electrified propulsion
aircraft with equivalent safety compared
to conventional aircraft. One key area of
concern is aviation
safety requirements
regarding single failures
in engine control
systems leading to a
loss of power or thrust
control. The engine
controls, and engine
power systems that they
act on, have the
potential for being
significantly different
for electrified propulsion
aircraft compared to
conventional aircraft
and so can benefit from
further guidance on how
to approach establishing
a safety case to address such failures.
To address this, the SAE E-40 Electrified
1.
2.
2.1
2.1.1
2.1.2
2.1.3
2.1.4
2.1.5
2.1.6
2.2
3.
3.1
3.2
4.
4.1
4.2
Fax:
SAE WEB ADDRESS:
AEROSPACE
INFORMATION REPORT
Assessment of Electric Engine Failures Leading to LOPC
RATIONALE
Civil aviation authorities have published Special Conditions for the airworthiness and type design of aircraft electric and
hybrid engines which include requirements for the tolerance of engine control systems to single failure leading to loss of
power or thrust control events. While there is a common industry-wide understanding of the scope of applicability of such
requirements for traditional propulsion technologies, this is not the case for electric and hybrid engines. Furthermore, the
means to accommodate loss of thrust or power control applicable to traditional propulsion technologies may not be suitable
for electric and hybrid engines and some of the aircraft applications they are intended to be integrated into. The intent of
this document is to provide and propose the adoption of alternative criteria to this historical approach in the context of
electric and hybrid technologies based on propulsion power loss levels, their effects at the aircraft level, and acceptable
failure rates.
INTRODUCTION
This aerospace information report provides guidance to assess the tolerance of an aircraft electric engine design to electrical
and electronic failures leading to Loss of Power Control (LOPC) or Loss of Thrust Control (LOTC) events. Its intent is to
provide a means to demonstrate compliance with certification requirements. At issue 1, this document has been developed
to address fully electric engine configurations targeting single engine aircraft applications with conventional engine
installation. Information, guidance, and recommendations from this document may also be relied upon by applicants to
develop compliance demonstration strategies for other types of engines and aircraft.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SCOPE .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................................. 3
Applicable Documents .................................................................................................................................. 3
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Publications ......................................................................................... 4
EASA Publications ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Terms, Definitions, and Abbreviations .......................................................................................................... 5
SAE Publications ........................................................................................................................................... 3
ANAC-EASA-FAA-TCCA Certification Management Team Publications ..................................................... 3
FAA Publications ........................................................................................................................................... 4
U.S. Military Publications .............................................................................................................................. 4
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Applicability ................................................................................................................................................... 9
Electric Engine Architecture ........................................................................................................................ 10
LOPC-E FOR ELECTRIC ENGINES .......................................................................................................... 11
Analysis Scope ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Quantitative Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 13
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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For more information on this standard, visit
https://www.sae.org/standards/content/AIR7130/
AIR7130 was issued in October 2024 and
provides guidance on LOPC events.
Global regulatory cooperation
The major worldwide civil aviation
authorities include the FAA in the United
States, EASA in
Europe, TCCA in
Canada, and ANAC in
Brazil. In 2016, they
established a group
called the Certification
Management Team
(CMT) to promote
international regulatory
cooperation and
harmonization. This
forum has been
effective in assessing
potential areas for
harmonization on new
aviation technologies
and coordinate
effective messaging to
industry, including
AIR7130™
Issued
2024-10
standards development organizations like
SAE.
Propulsion Committee recently released
Aerospace Information Report AIR7130,
Assessment of Electric Engine Failures
Leading to LOPC. (LOPC stands for loss of
power control.) This provides a resource for
companies developing an electrified
propulsion system to help them formulate a
strategy for compliance with regulatory
requirements.
UPDATE
Loss of power control
What does it mean to have a LOPC in an
aircraft? For conventional reciprocating
engines, there are three main criteria
defining LOPC:
* The engine control system has lost the
capability to modulate power between
idle and 85% maximum rated power, or
February 2025
37

https://www.sae.org/standards/content/air7130/ https://www.sae.org/standards/content/air7130/

SAE Update - February 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAE Update - February 2025