A private jet with eight passengers on board crashed shortly after departure from a busy airport in the United States amidst heavy snowfall. The incident involving a Bombardier Challenger 600 occurred at Maine’s Bangor International Airport at approximately 7:45 pm. Authorities from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are conducting investigations with no immediate updates on the passengers’ conditions.
The crash coincided with a severe winter storm affecting New England and various parts of the country, leading to significant snowfall in Bangor. Emergency teams responded to the scene, prompting the closure of the airport due to the single aircraft incident during departure.
Audio recordings revealed discussions between the pilot and air traffic control regarding poor visibility caused by adverse weather conditions. Despite obtaining clearance for takeoff, air traffic control reported a sudden halt in all traffic on the runway shortly after departure, with subsequent communication indicating an inverted aircraft and the presence of three crew members and potentially five passengers on board.
Bangor International Airport, situated approximately 200 miles north of Boston, offers direct flights to destinations such as Orlando, Washington DC, and Charlotte. The weekend storm brought disruptive weather, including sleet, freezing rain, and snow across the eastern US, resulting in travel disruptions and power outages in the South East.
Commercial air travel faced extensive disruptions nationwide, with over 12,000 flight cancellations and nearly 20,000 delays reported by flight tracker flightaware.com. Airports in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey experienced operational challenges.
The Bombardier Challenger 600, a spacious business jet accommodating nine to 11 passengers, was introduced in 1980 as the first private jet with a “walk-about cabin” and remains a favored charter choice in the aviation industry.