The US Federal Aviation Administration and Gulfstream Aerospace have confirmed one of the manufacturer's five G650 test aircraft has crashed at Roswell International Air Center Airport in Roswell, New Mexico, killing two pilots and two test engineers aboard.
According to the FAA, the aircraft - operating as Gulfstream Test 31 - had spent the morning, approximately 2.5h, conducting takeoff-performance and brake testing when it was cleared for takeoff on runway 15, at around 09:30 local time.
A source familiar with the accident says S/N 6002, registered N652GD, was the airframe involved. S/N 6002 first flew on 25 February 2010 and was tasked with validating the aircraft's systems, as part of the planned 1,800h certification campaign.
Gulfstream has targeted 2011 for FAA and EASA certification of the large cabin ultra-long range G650, with its first planned delivery in 2012.