A private aircraft carrying eight people crashed during takeoff at Bangor International Airport in Maine, US, on Sunday night, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. The crash occurred amid a massive winter storm that brought steady snowfall to Bangor and large parts of the eastern United States.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 went down around 7:45 pm. There was no immediate information on the condition of those on board. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation.
The airport said emergency crews were rushed to the site and operations were temporarily suspended following what it described as an incident involving a single departing aircraft.
Airport issues statement
The airport issued a statement that emergency crews were on the scene at the airport, which was closed after what it described as an incident involving a single aircraft departing the airport.
Bangor International Airport offers direct flights to cities like Orlando, Florida, Washington, DC, and Charlotte, North Carolina, and is located about 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Boston.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 is a wide-bodied business jet configured for 9 to 11 passengers. It was launched in 1980 as the first private jet with a walk-about cabin' and remains a popular charter option, according to aircharterservice.com
Throughout the weekend, the vast storm dumped sleet, freezing rain, and snow across much of the eastern half of the US, halting much air and road traffic and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the Southeast.
Air traffic disrupted in US
A massive winter storm has gripped the eastern two-thirds of the United States, unleashing heavy snow, freezing rain, ice accumulation, and life-threatening cold across a staggering 2,000-mile swath from New Mexico to New England. Affecting nearly 213 million people, the storm has knocked out power for over 8,50,000 customers, cancelled more than 14,000 flights, and prompted emergency declarations in nearly 20 states. Dubbed historic by officials, it threatens prolonged blackouts, impassable roads, and extreme hypothermia risks as sub-zero temperatures persist.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued urgent alerts for a "unique" storm spanning over 2,000 miles (3,220 km), delivering heavy snow from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast and "catastrophic ice accumulation" from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Southeast. NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli highlighted its unprecedented spread, impacting areas unaccustomed to such ferocity.
Sub-freezing temperatures, sleet, and freezing rain could linger for days, with wind chills plunging below zero across more than half the country- even as far south as the Gulf Coast. Officials warned of "dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts," including extensive tree damage, long-duration outages, and thunder-snow in icy zones.
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