Posted on 04/03/2011 11:32:41 AM PDT by The Magical Mischief Tour
TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) – Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. said on Saturday that a model G650 jet crashed on Saturday morning during tests of takeoff performance, killing the two pilots and two flight-test engineers on board.
The crash, which occurred in Roswell, N.M., is under investigation by the Savannah, Ga., business-jet producer – a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corp., (GD 77.42, +0.86, +1.12%) the Falls Church, Va., aerospace giant – and by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, Gulfstream said.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who were lost,” Gulfstream Aerospace President Joe Lombardo said in a statement.
On the Gulfstream website, the G650 is described as having an extra-large cabin, accommodating 18 people, and the ability to fly “faster and farther than any traditional business aircraft.”
The plane’s top speed is mach .925, about 10% below the speed of sound, and with eight passengers and four crew it will fly 7,000 nautical miles (12,964 km) nonstop, the Gulfstream website says.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
Oh, man. That’s really sad news.
“The plane, the biggest business jet developed by Gulfstream, struck its right wing tip on the ground as it took off Saturday morning, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a spokesman for the FAA. The jet then hit the ground, causing the landing gear to collapse, and the plane skidded along the runway and caught fire, the spokesman told the Journal.”
Some kind of failure of the right wing or pilot error?
I'll still move ahead as planned...
I look forward to the RCA on this crash. Test aircraft are some of the best maintained and checked.
/johnny
It could be either, these Test Pilots fly these planes well beyond their published envelope. I fly the Gulfstream IV-SP and can say from personal experiences they are built like flying trucks. But these guys do put them thru a very serious test phase prior to FAA certification. Its truly a testament to their design and the skill of the pilots they don't break them, or cash more often.
Just terrible. Prayers for family members. Such a sexy looking plane.
Would like to have an ability to eject as military planes do
Realizing it’s a pipe dream
Sad, very sad news. Prayers for the crew, and their families left behind.
Wondering if there was wind sheer.
Observation: Seems by the picture those wings are extremely low to the ground. Curious.
I wonder if they were doing take-off tests with a full load of fuel?
The plane is so low,that it would not take much for a wing to strike the ground.
Local news coverage:
http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2047568.shtml?cat=504
Statewide, NM has been experiencing very high winds the past two days but the time of the crash (9:30 a.m. Saturday) may mean it was too early for wind to be a factor.
***The crash, which occurred in Roswell, N.M., ***
I used to be stationed there when it was Walker AFB, a SAC base.
I think 75% of all dust and pollen in Arizona has passed through my yard since 9 this morning.
At least the renters in the neighborhood who would have considered this the best possible time to burn trash have left.
My guess is that they were doing a SINGLE ENGINE takeoff test.
Imagine the looks on the passengers faces as they watch the pilot's ejection seats depart.
ahhh - That makes a lot of sense.
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