Abstract In this study a passive lateral fault tolerant controller for an UAV is designed using dynamic inversion (DI) method and robust integral of the signum of the error (RISE) techniques. The details of the methods are summarized. As the reference model of the tracking controller, UAV controlled by feedback type controller is used and the control method used for this design is explained. The loss in control effectiveness is modeled as changes in the control distribution matrix. Simulations are made to show the effectiveness of the passive fault tolerant controller in maintaining the lateral control in case of actuator effectiveness loss.