Ten Items Related To Flight Test Accident Involving Gulfstream's G650 Aircraft

The NTSB has issued a series of 10 recommendations related to an accident involving a flight-test Gulfstream G650 airplane. The board last month released its probable cause report in conjunction with the accident.

In a news release, the board said it has issued three recommendations to the Flight Test Safety Committee, two to Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, and the five to the FAA. The board says that the regulatory agency should:

• Inform domestic and foreign manufacturers of airplanes that are certified under 14Code of Federal Regulations Parts 23 and 25 about the circumstances of this accident and advise them to consider, when estimating an airplane's stall angle of attack in ground effect, the possibility that the airplane's maximum lift coefficient in ground effect could be lower than its maximum lift coefficient in free air. (A-12-54)
• Work with the Flight Test Safety Committee to develop and issue detailed flight test operating guidance for manufacturers that addresses the deficiencies documented in this report regarding flight test operating policies and procedures and their implementation. (A-12-55)
• Work with the Flight Test Safety Committee to develop and issue flight test safety program guidelines based on best practices in aviation safety management. (A-12-56)
• After the Flight Test Safety Committee has issued flight test safety program guidelines, include these guidelines in the next revision of Federal Aviation Administration Order 4040.26, Aircraft Certification Service Flight Test Risk Management Program. (A-12-57)
• Inform 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 139 airports that currently have (or may have in the
• future) flight test activity of the importance of advance coordination of high-risk flight tests with flight test operators to ensure that adequate aircraft rescue and firefighting resources are available to provide increased readiness during known high-risk flight tests. (A-12-58)

In addition, the board recommended that Gulfstream Aerospace commission an audit by qualified independent safety experts, before the start of the next major certification flight test program, to evaluate the company's flight test safety management system, with special attention given to the areas of weakness identified in this report, and address all areas of concern identified by the audit (A-12-62), and provide information about the lessons learned from the implementation of its flight test safety management system to interested manufacturers, flight test industry groups, and other appropriate parties (A-12-63)

The board recommends that the Flight Safety Committee should collaborate with the FAA to develop and issue flight test operating guidance for manufacturers that addresses the deficiencies documented in this report regarding flight test operating policies and procedures and their implementation, and encourage manufacturers to conduct flight test operations in accordance with the guidance ( A-12-59), develop and issue flight test safety program guidelines based on best practices in aviation safety management, and encourage manufacturers to incorporate these guidelines into their flight test safety programs (A-12-60), and  encourage members to provide notice of and coordinate high-risk flight tests with airport operations and aircraft rescue and firefighting personnel (A-12-61).

(Accident image provided by the NTSB)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov