Flight control checks of the Gulfstream IV that crashed during takeoff last year, killing all aboard, were rarely done, according to flight data from the jet’s most recent trips. The details were part of the accident docket the NTSB released Wednesday as it continues its investigation into the May 31, 2014, crash at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts. Investigators’ initial findings showed that the Gulfstream accelerated to 165 knots but never left the ground, and the elevator position indicated a control lock was engaged. The jet ran off a runway, through a fence and crashed into a gully, where it burned. The two pilots, a flight attendant and four passengers were killed, including billionaire businessman Lewis Katz.
The accident docket includes data from the jet indicating that out of the last 176 flights, two full stop-to-stop checks of all flight controls were performed prior to takeoff, while 16 partial control checks were identified. During the pre-takeoff operations prior to the crash, flight data also showed no movements of the controls to indicate they were checked. The transcript of the cockpit voice recorder showed that one of the pilots repeated “lock is on” several times in the moments before the crash, followed by, “I can’t stop it.” According to a Bloomberg report on the investigation, the NTSB’s probe includes the Gulfstream’s systems, which were designed to prevent throttle movement with locked controls.
