Deadly Plane Crash in Buffalo,New York.

[Ab-Titchaz]

Ndege nyengine yandondoka na safari hii watu wafa kibao -both passengers and people on the ground.

A Continental flight with 48 people aboard crashed into a home near Buffalo, New York at 10:10 tonight.

There were "multiple deaths" at the "horrible scene," emergency officials told CNN, reporting that the house was leveled in the crash.

The flight was Continental Express flight 3407 heading to Buffalo, N.Y. from Newark, N.J.

Here is video of the plane crash in Clarence Center, which is about 5 miles from Buffalo International Airport, where there was light snow and light rain tonight:

Plane Crashes Into House In Buffalo (VIDEO)

 

[Ab-Titchaz]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPoqhEHKNQk&eurl=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/13/plane-crashes-into-house_n_166609.html[/media]

 

[BAK]

Plane crash in NY state kills 49
BBC News Online

A teenage boy who lived nearby described the scene

Forty-nine people have died after a passenger plane crashed into a house in Buffalo, New York state.

The Continental Connection flight 3407 was five minutes from Buffalo airport when it came down at 2210 (0310 GMT).

Officials said there were no survivors from the 44 passengers and four crew on board the flight from Newark. One person on the ground also died.

It is not clear what caused the crash. There was reported to be light snow and fog at the time.

TV footage showed a house engulfed in flames and the tail of the plane sticking out of the ground.


Officials said surrounding homes suffered only superficial damage. Twelve other homes were evacuated around the crash site in Clarence Center, a suburb of Buffalo.

State police spokeswoman Rebecca Gibbons said that of the 48 people on the plane, "there were no survivors".

Erie County Executive Chris Collins said there were three people in the house that was hit.

One died and the other two - believed to be a woman and child - managed to escape with apparently minor injuries, he said.

'Dropped off radar'

The twin-prop Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft, operated by Colgan Air for Continental Airlines, was flying from Newark airport in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

US media say a recording of Buffalo's air traffic control before the crash showed no concerns by either the controller or the pilot.

However, a minute later, the controller was unable to contact flight 3407 and asked other planes in the area if they could spot it.

It sounded quite loud, and then the sound stopped. Then one or two seconds later, there was a thunderous explosion

Eyewitness David Luce
'The plane didn't sound normal'
In pictures: Buffalo crash



One airport official said he had been told "the plane simply dropped off the radar screen".

Eyewitnesses spoke of hearing unusual sounds coming from the plane before it crashed.

"It sounded quite loud, and then the sound stopped," David Luce, who lives 150 yards (137m) from the crash site, told the Buffalo News.

"Then one or two seconds later, there was a thunderous explosion. I thought something hit our house. It shook our whole house."

He described going to the scene of the crash and seeing flames up to 50ft (15m) high.

"The house was already flattened. There was no house, just a pile of rubbish and still burning," he said.

Dave Bissonette, emergency control director in Clarence, described the crash as a "catastrophic event".

"It's remarkable that it only took one house," he added.

"As devastating as that was, it could have easily wiped out that entire neighbourhood.

"The fuselage of the plane lies directly on the footprint of the house. It basically dove right into the top of the house from my perspective, and again I am no expert on recreations, but it landed on the house," he said.

Investigation

Relatives of the victims have been gathering at a hastily arranged family assistance centre.

BOMBARDIER DASH 8 AIRCRAFT

The Canadian-made Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 was delivered new last year
Q400 is newest member of the Dash 8 family
Twin-engine turboprop, mainly for short-haul flights
First flown in 1998, entered commercial service in 2000

Chris Kausner said his sister Elise, a law student, was on the flight. "I'm thinking about the fact that my mother has to fly home from Florida and what I'm going to tell my two sons," he said.

Officials say the fire has been brought under control and the area has been sealed off.

An investigation into the accident is expected to begin at midday local time on Friday, when the site has cooled down enough.

Investigators from the National National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are going to the scene.

Continental Airlines expressed profound sadness over the crash and said it was working closely with Colgan Air to "provide as much support as possible for all concerned".

 

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[BAK]

Fatal US plane 'was on autopilot'
BBC News Online​

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The plane's de-icing system had been switched on before the crash
A plane that crashed onto a house in New York state, killing 50 people, was on autopilot when it went down in icy weather, investigators have said.

The Continental Airlines pilot may have breached federal safety recommendations by flying in such conditions, investigator Steve Chealander said.

Pilots are recommended to fly manually in icy weather, he said.

Analysis of the plane's data recorders shows the crew noticed significant ice build-up on its wings before the crash.

"You may be able in a manual mode to sense something sooner than the autopilot can sense it," said Mr Chealander, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

He told the Associated Press news agency that the NTSB recommended pilots disengage their craft's autopilot facility in icy conditions.

Pitches and rolls

The Bombardier Dash 8 was approaching Buffalo's airport when it crashed flat on the house in Clarence Center, a suburb of Buffalo, last Thursday. BOMBARDIER DASH 8 AIRCRAFT

'The plane didn't sound normal'
9/11 widow among dead

The pilots did not tell air traffic controllers of any problems during the flight, and a recording of communications appears normal until shortly before the crash.

At that point, the crew are heard discussing snowy and misty conditions and asking for permission to descend.

The crew then discussed "significant ice build-up" on the windshield and leading edge of the aircraft's wings, Mr Chealander said on Friday.

The plane's de-icing system had been switched on before the crew talked about the ice, he said.

Preliminary investigations suggested the plane was pointing away from the airport at which it was meant to land when it crashed.

Analysis of the data recorders shows the plane made a series of severe pitches and rolls seconds before plunging into the house.

The dead include 44 passengers, four crew and one off-duty pilot on board, and one person on the ground.

The twin-prop Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft, operated by Colgan Air for Continental Airlines, was flying from Newark airport in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

 

[bm21]

Fatal US plane 'was on autopilot'
BBC News Online​

​

​

The plane's de-icing system had been switched on before the crash
A plane that crashed onto a house in New York state, killing 50 people, was on autopilot when it went down in icy weather, investigators have said.

The Continental Airlines pilot may have breached federal safety recommendations by flying in such conditions, investigator Steve Chealander said.

Pilots are recommended to fly manually in icy weather, he said.

Analysis of the plane's data recorders shows the crew noticed significant ice build-up on its wings before the crash.

"You may be able in a manual mode to sense something sooner than the autopilot can sense it," said Mr Chealander, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

He told the Associated Press news agency that the NTSB recommended pilots disengage their craft's autopilot facility in icy conditions.

Pitches and rolls

The Bombardier Dash 8 was approaching Buffalo's airport when it crashed flat on the house in Clarence Center, a suburb of Buffalo, last Thursday. BOMBARDIER DASH 8 AIRCRAFT

'The plane didn't sound normal'
9/11 widow among dead

The pilots did not tell air traffic controllers of any problems during the flight, and a recording of communications appears normal until shortly before the crash.

At that point, the crew are heard discussing snowy and misty conditions and asking for permission to descend.

The crew then discussed "significant ice build-up" on the windshield and leading edge of the aircraft's wings, Mr Chealander said on Friday.

The plane's de-icing system had been switched on before the crew talked about the ice, he said.

Preliminary investigations suggested the plane was pointing away from the airport at which it was meant to land when it crashed.

Analysis of the data recorders shows the plane made a series of severe pitches and rolls seconds before plunging into the house.

The dead include 44 passengers, four crew and one off-duty pilot on board, and one person on the ground.

The twin-prop Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft, operated by Colgan Air for Continental Airlines, was flying from Newark airport in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

Is sorrowful, that it was on auto pilot!...........May God rest the souls of the victims in internal peace. Technology is good but we need to be careful with it.