US plane crashes into house, leaving 50 dead
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 14, 2009 00:00
CLARENCE, New York - A US commuter plane crashes into a house in Buffalo, New York state, unleashing a fiery explosion and killing all 49 on board and one on the ground.
A Continental commuter plane coming in for a landing nose-dived into a house in suburban Buffalo, sparking a fiery explosion that killed all 49 people aboard and a person in the home.
Witnesses heard the twin turboprop aircraft sputtering before it went down in light snow and fog around 10:20 p.m. Thursday about five miles from Buffalo Niagara Airport. Continental Connection Flight 3407 from Newark came in squarely through the roof of the house, its tail section visible through flames shooting at least 50 feet high. "The whole sky was lit up orange," said Bob Dworak, who lives less than a mile away. "All the sudden, there was a big bang, and the house shook."
Two others in the house escaped with minor injuries. The plane was carrying a four-member crew and an off-duty pilot. Among the 44 passengers killed was a woman whose husband died in the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Direct hit
Erie County Emergency Coordinator David Bissonette said it appeared the plane dove directly on top of the house. "It was a direct hit," Erie County Executive Chris Collins said. "It's remarkable that it only took one house. As devastating as that is, it could have wiped out the entire neighborhood."
President Barack Obama voiced condolences, saying "our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones." No mayday call came from the pilot, according to a recording of air traffic control's radio messages captured by the Web site LiveATC.net. Neither the controller nor the pilot showed concern that anything was out of the ordinary as the airplane was asked to fly at 2,300 feet. Officials said the plane simply fell off the radar screen.
After the crash, at least two pilots were heard on air traffic control messages saying they had been picking up ice on their wings. "We've been getting ice since 20 miles south of the airport," one said. The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team of investigators to Buffalo. The Department of Homeland Security said there was no indication of terrorism. While residents of the neighborhood were used to planes rumbling overhead, witnesses said it sounded louder than usual, sputtered and made odd noises.
David Luce said he and his wife were working on their computers when they heard the plane come in low.
"It didn't sound normal," he said. "We heard it for a few seconds, then it stopped, then a couple of seconds later was this tremendous explosion."
It was the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the U.S. since Aug. 27, 2006, when 49 people were killed after a Comair jetliner took off from a Lexington, Kentucky, runway that was too short. About 30 relatives and others who arrived at the airport in the overnight hours were escorted into a private area and then taken by bus to a senior citizens center in the neighboring town of Cheektowaga, where counselors from Continental waited to help.
Witnesses heard the twin turboprop aircraft sputtering before it went down in light snow and fog around 10:20 p.m. Thursday about five miles from Buffalo Niagara Airport. Continental Connection Flight 3407 from Newark came in squarely through the roof of the house, its tail section visible through flames shooting at least 50 feet high. "The whole sky was lit up orange," said Bob Dworak, who lives less than a mile away. "All the sudden, there was a big bang, and the house shook."
Two others in the house escaped with minor injuries. The plane was carrying a four-member crew and an off-duty pilot. Among the 44 passengers killed was a woman whose husband died in the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Direct hit
Erie County Emergency Coordinator David Bissonette said it appeared the plane dove directly on top of the house. "It was a direct hit," Erie County Executive Chris Collins said. "It's remarkable that it only took one house. As devastating as that is, it could have wiped out the entire neighborhood."
President Barack Obama voiced condolences, saying "our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones." No mayday call came from the pilot, according to a recording of air traffic control's radio messages captured by the Web site LiveATC.net. Neither the controller nor the pilot showed concern that anything was out of the ordinary as the airplane was asked to fly at 2,300 feet. Officials said the plane simply fell off the radar screen.
After the crash, at least two pilots were heard on air traffic control messages saying they had been picking up ice on their wings. "We've been getting ice since 20 miles south of the airport," one said. The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team of investigators to Buffalo. The Department of Homeland Security said there was no indication of terrorism. While residents of the neighborhood were used to planes rumbling overhead, witnesses said it sounded louder than usual, sputtered and made odd noises.
David Luce said he and his wife were working on their computers when they heard the plane come in low.
"It didn't sound normal," he said. "We heard it for a few seconds, then it stopped, then a couple of seconds later was this tremendous explosion."
It was the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the U.S. since Aug. 27, 2006, when 49 people were killed after a Comair jetliner took off from a Lexington, Kentucky, runway that was too short. About 30 relatives and others who arrived at the airport in the overnight hours were escorted into a private area and then taken by bus to a senior citizens center in the neighboring town of Cheektowaga, where counselors from Continental waited to help.