G650 flight-test aircraft crashes over New Mexico

Posted by John McHaleSAVANNAH, Ga., 4 April 2011. A Gulfstream G650 crashed the morning of April 2 during takeoff-performance tests in Roswell, N.M. – killing all on board.Two Gulfstream pilots and two Gulfstream flight-test engineers died in the crash -- experimental test pilots Kent Crenshaw and Vivan Ragusa and technical specialists David McCollum and Reece Ollenburg. All four were residents of Savannah, Ga."We mourn the loss of our colleagues and friends and extend our deepest sympathies to their families," saysJoe Lombardo, president, Gulfstream. "The Gulfstream team has already rallied to support the people these men left behind, and we know that the local and aviation communities will do the same. On their behalf, we ask for your kindness, support and understanding as they, and the rest of the Gulfstream family, grieve the passing of these fine professionals."Crenshaw, 64, joined Gulfstream in August 1997. He leaves behind a wife and adult son. Ollenburg, 48, had been with Gulfstream since June 2009. He is survived by his wife and four children. Ragusa, 51, was hired at Gulfstream in 2007. He is survived by his wife and three children. McCollum, 47, who started working at Gulfstream in 2006, is survived by his parents.The accident is under investigation by Gulfstream, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration."We are cooperating 100 percent with the investigation," Lombardo says.