Gulfstream IV Crash Mystery Focuses on Mechanical Systems

Stephen Pope

Tuesday, June 17, 2014 at 07:02 PM ET

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Gulfstream IV's tire tracks

Key Takeaways:

Investigators are focusing on two perplexing clues in the deadly crash of a Gulfstream IV that failed to lift off during a routine takeoff.
Flight data showed discrepancies in the flap setting (20 degrees) compared to the cockpit handle (10 degrees).
The elevator was found deflected downward as if the gust lock was engaged, despite its cockpit handle being in the "off" position.
The NTSB noted the pilots did not perform a control check before the takeoff, which ended in a high-speed runway overrun, crash, and the deaths of all seven occupants.

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Accident investigators are focusing on two perplexing clues as they try to determine what caused the deadly crash of Gulfstream IV in Bedford, Massachusetts, on May 31 after the jet failed to lift off from the runway during what should have been a routine takeoff.

The first mystery concerns the GIV’s flaps. Investigators found the flap handle in the cockpit in the 10-degree detent, yet a review of flight data recorder information shows the flaps were set by the crew to 20 degrees before takeoff.