By Deborah Nnamdi
A private jet carrying eight people has crashed while attempting to take off from Bangor International Airport in the US state of Maine, aviation authorities have confirmed.
The aircraft, a Bombardier Challenger 600, went down at about 7:45 p.m. local time on Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The identities and condition of those on board were not immediately known as investigations began.
The crash occurred as a powerful winter storm swept across large parts of the United States, causing widespread travel disruption and power outages. Pilots at Bangor International Airport were reportedly struggling with poor visibility at the time of the incident.
Following the crash, Bangor International Airport announced its closure, saying emergency responders were on the scene and advising members of the public to avoid the area.
Audio recordings from air traffic control, obtained by LiveATC.net and reported by CBS News, captured conversations between controllers and pilots minutes before the crash, with references to reduced visibility. It remains unclear which aircraft was involved in those communications. Shortly after, a controller was heard reporting that a “passenger aircraft” was “upside down.”
Images from the scene showed smoke and flames rising from the runway as emergency crews worked to contain the situation.
The incident added to widespread travel chaos across the country caused by the storm. More than 11,000 flights were cancelled and nearly 5,500 delayed nationwide on Sunday, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. Major airports in cities including Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, New York, New Jersey and parts of North Carolina were affected.
Bangor remains under a winter storm warning until Tuesday, with the National Weather Service forecasting between 10 and 16 inches (25 to 40 centimetres) of snow across parts of Maine, including the Bangor area.
