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 ...
“My guess is that they were doing a SINGLE ENGINE takeoff test.”
With water barrels in each vacant seat to simulate a full load to give the full effect of an engine failure at V1.
“wings are extremely low to the ground”
my first thought after looking at the picture. doesn’t take much of a “tip” to make a hit.
My guess is abnormal wind suddenly or, a main landing gear collapsed during the take-off roll. If he had reached V2 and rotated, the aircraft would have been in climb regime and would not have yawed or tilted. I suspect he was still somewhere in his aircraft rollout prior to take-off. Side bar - Gulfstream builds magnificent aircraft, period, and good folks please do not listen to anything coming out of the media. They don’t have a clue about anything concerning aviation, but, then again, they do not have a clue about anything, period!!!
I guess that they don’t grade aviation tests for aircraft on a curve. It’s more of a pass-fail thing.
“.....doesn’t take much of a “tip” to make a hit.”
Yes, my thought as well. My understanding this is a modified version with expanded cabin capacity, therefore the wings might be set similarly to it’s predecessor, but with the expanded cabin, and say as some suggest a single engine takeoff test with ballast to simulate passenger weight inside that expanded cabin the balance of the craft would be quite different from the predecessor as perhaps more top heavy, with therefore a tendency to roll that was not anticipated to be as extreme as perhaps it indeed was.
“If he had reached V2 and rotated, the aircraft would have been in climb regime and would not have yawed or tilted.”
Flight control software can do crazy things, which is why these guys make the big bucks.
I heard a story of some of the early F117 tests (so take with a grain of salt, not first person) where yaw and pitch controls were reversed. When pilot reached V2 he got a nasty surprise. I’ve personally seen errors that would have likewise met with deadly end if early software would have been flown south of the equator.
The good news, if there is any, is that this would have been a highly instrumented aircraft - so despite my own and others speculation - they’ll very likely know exactly why this happened.
“Airbus lost an aircraft doing stupid one engine test on takeoff.”
Stupid as it is, isn’t demonstrating this part of FAA certification requirements?
Don’t take this personally, but simulating an engine failure on takeoff is a vital certification flight test. The capability to continue to takeoff after losing an engine at the critical moment is a regulatory requirement. The data needed to determine the engine-out takeoff speeds can only be gathered by flight testing.
Several of my coworkers have left for Gulfstream in the past few years. Any of them were qualified to be on that airplane. I’m praying that I don’t recognize any of the names when they are released as well as for the comfort of the families of those who did die.
Wind tunnels and computation fluid dynamics can only do so much. Real people have to go out and prove the design. It’s not as dangerous as it used to be, but there is a risk. There are still places in the flight envelope where the dragons live and we still have to get close enough to see them without getting eaten. Takeoff testing is where you need to get very close.
Godspeed.
Namsman sends.
I think he’s referring to an engine failure at decision speed, what we call a V1 cut.
This is a engine failure that occurs either after or exactly at the takeoff decision speed, the speed where you are committed to flying due to runway length, aircraft speed and weight.
So you are committed to getting airborne and then returning to land.
I agree with you, but having done a number of early model B747 test flights and damaged aircraft ferries to home base, either the captain or co-pilot is the boss man during rollout & take-off and is in total control and management of this activity. I have learned, however, to wait for the experts at DOT and Gulfstream to deliver their findings. What a sad loss of human talent and aircraft equipment. May the Lord receive these folks in all his heavenly glory and may these folks RIP!!!
Looking at those long skinny wings, it appears that it would be awfully easy for a random gust of wind to smack one of those down on the tarmac as the craft is just beginning to lift off. Back to the drawing board... it’s a damned shame (pardon the strong language) they can’t do initial takeoff tests under ROBOTIC control, unmanned.
I missed it the first time around. What is that candy cane on the nose in the second picture?
It’s probably the flight test pitot tube. They’ll use it as the truth source and compare to what the flight avionics says.
It can be a pretty complex calibration curve - that’s why the truth source is on a long boom so that it’s free of any possible perturbation. They’ll run various tests - varying angles of attack at different altitudes and conditions and get a family of curves that will allow them to have confidence in the set of sensors on the aircraft.
Thanks! I learn something every day on FR.
Shortly before I joined the USAF (in 1960), I used to run my ‘60 Valiant in the drag races on a former runway at Walker. Drag racing team there was the “Walker Dusters”. Appropriate... ;-)
How awful!! Thanks for the ping,EG!
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