Two Pilots, Two Flight-Test Engineers Die During Flight Testing In New Mexico

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today identified the four employees killed in the crash of a Gulfstream G650 during flight testing in Roswell, N.M.

Experimental test pilots Kent Crenshaw and Vivan Ragusa and technical specialists David McCollum and Reece Ollenburg died in the April 2 accident. All four were residents of Savannah.

“We mourn the loss of our colleagues and friends and extend our deepest sympathies to their families,” said Joe 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 ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650 crashed April 2 during takeoff-performance tests at the Roswell International Air Center Airport in Roswell.

Gulfstream press release