“Aircraft upside down. We have a passenger aircraft upside down.” The words come from air traffic control audio captured by LiveATC.net after a Bombardier Challenger business jet went down on departure from Bangor International Airport in Maine on Sunday evening, January 25.
Seven of the eight people aboard died. One crew member survived with serious injuries. The Federal Aviation Administration said the jet “crashed under unknown circumstances on departure, came to rest inverted, and caught fire.” The time was about 7:45 p.m., with a big winter storm sitting over New England.
What the tower recording shows
On the audio, controllers and pilots talk about low visibility and deicing minutes before the crash. A controller clears the aircraft for takeoff on Runway 33. Nearly two minutes on, a controller calls out, “All traffic is stopped on the field! All traffic is stopped on the field!” Then comes the upside-down call, and emergency vehicles are cleared onto the airfield.
It was not immediately clear who was speaking in the earlier exchanges.
Conditions on the ground
The National Weather Service had Bangor at around 2°F with a windchill of -13°F, light snow and a northeast wind near 10 miles per hour. A winter storm warning was in force and visibility was limited. The city ended up with nearly 10 inches of snow, though heavier snowfall came later that night.
“Certainly, the weather is challenging,” Bangor Police Sgt. Jeremy Brock told WCSH, the NBC affiliate in Portland.
Airport director Jose Saavedra said snow was falling steadily, but aircraft were still landing and departing around the time of the crash. The National Guard, local firefighters and first responders from roughly 10 surrounding municipalities helped at the scene. Federal records list the jet as registered to a Houston-based limited corporation.
Investigation and fallout
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board opened a joint investigation. The NTSB said preliminary information showed the jet crashed on departure and burned afterward, and declined to give more until investigators reached the site. A spokesperson said severe weather made the timing uncertain; Saavedra later said a team was expected on site Monday afternoon. “We’re not ready to share additional information,” he told reporters.
The NTSB does not release victim information, and Saavedra declined to discuss who had died, saying he was “awaiting guidance and support from federal partners.”
The airport, about 200 miles north of Boston, closed right after the crash and was to stay shut until at least noon Wednesday. It serves Allegiant, American, Breeze, Delta and United.
The storm was disrupting travel across much of the eastern U.S. FlightAware counted around 12,000 flights cancelled and nearly 20,000 delayed on Sunday, with major disruptions at airports in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, New York and New Jersey.
The Challenger 600 was introduced in 1980 and was the first private jet with a “walk-about cabin.” It is configured to carry nine to 11 passengers.
Sources
- Maine plane crash: Seven dead, one seriously injured as jet crashes at Bangor airport amid winter storm | Today News
- Plane Crash in US – Winter Storm Devastates Bangor International Airport, Claims Lives: All You Need To Know – Travel And Tour World
- Seven dead, one critically injured in private jet crash on takeoff at Maine airport, FAA says
