Statement from Hal Chrisman, President of Raisbeck Engineering:
“On Friday, November 18, 2022, a Cessna Grand Caravan 208B EX crashed in Snohomish County, Washington, and resulted in the death of four crew members.
The aircraft was under lease to Raisbeck Engineering (Raisbeck) and at the time of the crash was under the command of two highly-experienced test pilots, both with over 10,000 flight hours, collecting baseline aircraft performance data. The entire crew of four also included a flight test director and an instrumentation engineer.
The flight on November 18 was collecting baseline aircraft performance data prior to installation of a Raisbeck modification. This is a standard industry practice that allows aviation engineering firms to establish baseline aircraft performance under a highly structured flight profile to later measure and compare the change in performance after any proposed modifications are installed. The aircraft was in this initial testing phase and had not yet been modified in any way by Raisbeck.
All the members of the Raisbeck family are devastated by this tragic accident. And while Raisbeck feels this loss deeply, we cannot begin to imagine the loss and pain of the families and other loved ones of these crew members.
The accident is being evaluated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the results of which will be forthcoming. Raisbeck cannot speculate as to the cause of the accident ahead of the findings of the NTSB. Raisbeck prides itself on a legacy of safety and is committed to cooperating with authorities on the investigation. Out of respect for the families, Raisbeck is not commenting on any crew members involved in the accident, at this time.
Raisbeck designs, develops, and certifies highly reliable aircraft safety, capability, and performance enhancing products and modifications. These modifications help aircraft fly faster, carry more passengers or cargo and improve flight range, as well as other improvements to flight.”
