Gulfstream IDs 4 Killed In NM Crash Of Test Flight
FAA: Plane Was Practicing Takeoffs, Landings When It Slammed Into Runway
ROSWELL, N.M. -- Gulfstream have identified the four employees killed in a fiery crash of a test twin-engine luxury business aircraft at a southern New Mexico airport.
Officials with the Georgia-based plane company say the four that died Saturday were test pilots 64-year-old Kent Crenshaw and 51-year-old Vivan Ragusa; and technical specialists 47-year-old David McCollum and 48-year-old Reece Ollenburg.
They were from Savannah, where the company is based.
The company says the team aboard the Gulfstream G650 was conducting takeoff-performance tests at Roswell International Air Center at the time of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause.
Gulfstream reportedly began taking orders on the nearly $60 million G650 jets in April 2010, with delivery expected next year.
Fonte:
http://www.foxcarolina.com/news/27409497/detail.html------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Accident Update: G650 was simulating single-engine take off
The National Transportation Safety Board issued its preliminary summary of events of Saturday's Gulfstream G650 accident in Roswell, New Mexco. Much of the information had already been shared by both the Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB, though the important fact that the crew was conducting a simulated engine-out takeoff - presumably post-V1 speed - was confirmed by the safety agency that had been floating amongst the aviation community since just after the accident occurred.
On April 2, 2011, about 0934 mountain daylight time, a Gulfstream GVI (G650) airplane, N652GD, was substantially damaged after impact with terrain during takeoff at Roswell International Air Center Airport (ROW), Roswell, New Mexico. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a company flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. The two flight crewmembers and the two technical crewmembers were fatally injured. The flight had originated from ROW about 0700 for a local area flight.
The airplane was operating under a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Experimental Certificate of Airworthiness and was performing a take off with a simulated engine failure to determine take-off distance requirements at minimum flap setting.
Wingtip scrape marks beginning on the runway approximately 5,300 feet from the end of the runway lead toward the final resting spot about 3,800 feet from the first marks on the runway. Witnesses close to the scene saw the airplane sliding on the ground with sparks and smoke coming from the bottom of the wing, and described the airplane being fully involved in fire while still moving across the ground. The airplane struck several obstructions and came to rest upright about 200 feet from the base of the airport control tower. Several airport rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) units responded quickly and fought the fire.
Coupled with what witnesses say was a unusually high angle of attack seen just before the right wingtip struck the runway, begins to paints a clearer picture of the events.
Fonte:
http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/fligh ... simul.html
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