The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that seven people died and one crew member survived with serious injuries when a private executive jet crashed during a blizzard at Bangor International Airport, in the state of Maine, last Sunday, 25.
The Bombardier Challenger 600, with eight people on board, crashed during takeoff at around 7:45 pm, while New England (northeast region of the USA) and much of the country were facing a strong winter storm. The airport, located about 200 miles north of Boston, was closed after the accident. The snowfall was heavy at the moment.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the accident. The NTSB reported that preliminary information indicates that the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff and suffered a subsequent fire, but that it will not make further statements until investigators arrive, expected in a day or two.
The NTSB also said it has no role in releasing information about victims and that such information is handled by local authorities. However, the airport director, José Saavedra, refused to comment, stating in a press conference this Monday, the 26th, that he was “awaiting guidance and support from federal partners”.
An audio recording of air traffic controllers includes someone saying “Aircraft upside down. We have a passenger aircraft upside down,” about 45 seconds after it was cleared for takeoff. First responders arrived less than a minute later, Saavedra said.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 is a wide-body business jet configured for nine to eleven passengers. It was launched in 1980 as the first private jet with a “walk-about cabin” and remains a popular charter option, according to aircharterservice.com.
Continues after advertising
The jet was registered to a company that shares the same Houston, Texas, address as the personal injury law firm Arnold and Itkin Trial Lawyers, and one of the firm’s founding partners is listed as a registered agent for the company that owns the aircraft.
Bangor International Airport offers direct flights to cities such as Orlando, Florida, Washington, DC, and Charlotte, North Carolina. It was closed shortly after the accident and will remain so until at least noon next Wednesday, the 28th.
Bangor had seen steady snowfall on Sunday, even though planes were landing and taking off at the time of the accident, Saavedra said.
The National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine, reported that the airport received nearly 10 inches of snow in total, although the blizzard was just beginning at the time of the accident.
“We have crews on site that respond to storms regularly,” Saavedra said. “It’s normal for us to have to respond to weather events.”
Over the weekend, the storm dumped sleet, freezing rain and snow across much of the eastern half of the U.S., disrupting air and road traffic and leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power in the Southeast.
Continues after advertising
Commercial air traffic was also heavily affected. About 12,000 flights were canceled on Sunday and nearly 20,000 were delayed, according to flight tracking website flightaware.com. Airports in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York and New Jersey were among those affected.
*With information from the Associated Press.
