(Bangor) The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Monday that six people were killed and one crew member survived with serious injuries when a private business jet crashed Sunday evening in a snowstorm at Bangor International Airport in Maine.
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The Bombardier Challenger 600, carrying eight people, crashed on takeoff around 7:45 p.m. Sunday evening, as New England and much of the country grappled with a severe winter storm. The airport, located about 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Boston, was closed after the accident and will remain closed at least until Wednesday.
Snowfall was heavy at the time, as in many other parts of the country.
The plane was registered to a company whose address in Houston, Texas, is the same as that of the personal injury law firm Arnold and Itkin Trial Lawyers. One of the law firm’s founding partners is registered as an agent for the company that owns the plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, another US federal agency, are currently investigating. The NTSB said preliminary information indicated the plane crashed on takeoff and caught fire after the crash, but it would make no further statements until investigators arrive in a day or two.
Airport Director Jose Saavedra declined to comment, saying at a news conference Monday that he was “awaiting guidance and support from his federal partners.”
An audio recording from air traffic controllers reveals someone saying “Airplane upside down.” We have an upside down airliner,” about 45 seconds after the plane received clearance to take off. First aid arrived less than a minute later, assured Mr. Saavedra.
Bangor had experienced steady snowfall on Sunday, but planes were landing and taking off at the time of the crash, Mr. Saavedra said.
The National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine, said the airport received nearly 10 inches of snow in total, although snowfall had just begun at the time of the crash.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 is a wide-body business jet that can accommodate 9 to 11 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.
