Henne Says Flight Testing Will Not Resume Until FAA Says It Is Safe

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. has flight-test and engineering department personnel on site in Roswell, NM, participating in the NTSB's investigation of the April 2 crash of a Gulfstream G650 aircraft.

Immediately following the accident, Gulfstream elected to temporarily suspend the flight activities of its four remaining G650 flight-test aircraft as the NTSB, the FAA, the company and suppliers work together to analyze the accident. All other certification and production work on the G650 program continues, and all other activities at the company are proceeding normally.

"We are participating fully in the aircraft investigation," commented Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream, "and will only resume flying the G650 when we and the Federal Aviation Administration are satisfied it is safe to do so."

The crash of G650 Serial Number 6002 occurred during takeoff-performance testing. The airplane first flew in February 2010. As of March 31, 2011, the aircraft had accumulated more than 425 hours of flight-test time, involving tests of performance and systems. The G650 flight test fleet has accumulated more than 1,570 flight test hours.

Gulfstream, in consultation with the NTSB, will provide further status updates on the G650 flight-test program appropriate with the pace of the investigation.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.gulfstream.com