A private jet carrying eight people crashed while taking off at an airport in Maine, USA, amid a severe snowstorm.
A private jet crashed while taking off from Bangor Airport in Maine, in the northeastern United States, on Sunday evening local time. The aircraft had eight people on board, including passengers and crew, according to confirmation from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
A source familiar with the initial information told CNN that the severity of injuries to those on board the aircraft is not yet known.
The aircraft involved was a Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet. Bangor Airport stated in a release that rescue teams and emergency personnel responded around 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time before temporarily closing the airport.
The FAA said it will work with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident.
The crash occurred amid a major snowstorm moving across several areas in the northeastern U.S. Maine experienced below-freezing temperatures, with light snow causing very low flight visibility.
Federal records indicate that the aircraft is registered to a limited liability company based in Houston, Texas.
Meanwhile, audio recordings of communications between air traffic control and the pilot were released by the website LiveATC.net. These recordings, made minutes before the crash, mention low visibility and de-icing procedures on the aircraft, though it is unclear which parties were involved in the conversation.
In the audio, air traffic control cleared the pilot for takeoff from Bangor Airport’s Runway 33. Nearly two minutes later, a controller was heard shouting over the radio, "All air traffic stop immediately! All traffic stop!"
Shortly after, another official reported, "There is an overturned aircraft on the airport grounds."
Following the incident, the airport closed the area and allowed emergency vehicles onto the tarmac. Air traffic control later confirmed there were three crew members and approximately five passengers on board.
No further details have been released regarding the cause of the accident or the condition of those on board, as U.S. authorities continue their official investigation.
/sourceCNN
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