Accident Update: G650 was simulating single-engine take off

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.

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