7 killed, 1 person survives private jet crash at Maine airport

The Associated Press

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration says seven people were killed and a crew member survived with serious injuries when a private business jet crashed in a snowstorm at Maine’s Bangor International Airport.

The Bombardier Challenger 600 carrying eight people crashed on takeoff around 7:45 p.m. local time Sunday night as New England and much of the country grappled with a massive winter storm.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The NTSB said preliminary information shows the plane crashed upon departure and experienced a post-crash fire, but that it would have no further statement until after investigators arrive in a day or two.

The NTSB said it has no role in the release of information about victims and that such information is handled by local authorities. But airport director Jose Saavedra refused to comment, saying at a news conference Monday that he was “awaiting guidance and support from federal partners.”

‘Aircraft upside down’: audio recording

An audio recording of air traffic controllers includes someone saying “Aircraft upside down. We have a passenger aircraft upside down,” about 45 seconds after a plane was cleared for takeoff. First responders arrived less than a minute later, Saavedra said.

The Bombardier Challenger 600 is a wide-bodied business jet configured for nine to 11 passengers. It was launched in 1980 — by Canadair, later acquired by Bombardier of Dorval, Que. — as the first private jet with a “walk-about cabin.”

Bangor International Airport offers direct flights to cities like Orlando, Fla., Washington, D.C., and Charlotte, N.C. It is about 320 kilometres north of Boston and about 180 kilometres west of the New Brunswick border.

Throughout the weekend, the vast storm dumped sleet, freezing rain and snow across much of the eastern half of the U.S., affecting air traffic.

Some 12,000 flights were cancelled Sunday and nearly 20,000 were delayed, according to the flight tracker flightaware.com.

Airports in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York and New Jersey were among those impacted.