Private aircraft with eight onboard crashes on takeoff in Maine amid winter storm | Maine
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said a private plane carrying eight people crashed during takeoff from Maine’s Bangor international airport Sunday night; The region and much of the country were grappling with a major winter storm.
Bombardier Challenger 600 crashed at around 19.45 and there is no statement yet about the condition of those on board.
The business jet at the center of the crash flipped and caught fire while trying to take off during a snowstorm, according to records from federal officials and air traffic controllers.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said preliminary information indicates the plane crashed during takeoff and a fire broke out after the crash, but it would not make any further statements until investigators arrive in a day or two.
Audio recordings of air traffic controllers show someone saying, “The plane is upside down, we have a passenger plane upside down,” about 45 seconds after the plane was ready for takeoff.
Both the FAA and NTSB said they would continue investigating.
Bangor, along with the rest of New England and many other parts of the country, were experiencing persistent snowfall on Sunday.
In the statement made by the airport, it was stated that emergency teams were at the scene of the airport, which was closed after the incident involving a single plane taking off from the airport.
Bangor’s international airport offers direct flights to cities such as Orlando, Florida; Washington DC; and Charlotte, North Carolina. It is located approximately 200 miles (320 km) north of Boston.
Over the weekend, the severe storm dumped sleet, freezing rain and snow across much of the eastern half of the United States, shutting down most air and road traffic and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the southeast. At least 14 people have reportedly died from these conditions, including in Texas, New York City, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Louisiana and Kansas.
Commercial air traffic was also severely disrupted across much of the United States.
Nearly 12,000 flights were canceled and nearly 20,000 delayed Sunday, according to the flight tracker. FlightAware.com. Airports in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York and New Jersey were among those affected.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 is a wide-body business jet configured for nine to 11 passengers. It was launched in 1980 as the first private jet with a “walk-around cabin” and remains a popular charter option. aircharterservice.com.
