Seven people were killed and just one person miraculously survived after a private jet flipped upside down and crashed as it was taking off in heavy snow in Maine, officials said Monday.
The twin-engine turbo-fan Bombardier Challenger 600 went up in flames after it went down at Bangor International Airport at about 7:45 p.m. on Sunday during the massive winter storm, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The identities of those on board weren’t immediately available. The jet was registered to a Texas personal-injury law firm.
The sole survivor was a crew member who was left seriously injured, according to officials.
Preliminary details indicated the business jet crashed as it was trying to take off and quickly exploded into flames, investigators said.
Audio from air traffic controllers captured someone saying “aircraft upside down, we have a passenger aircraft upside down” roughly 45 seconds after the jet was cleared to take off.
The cause of the wreck is still under investigation.
Snowfall was heavy at the time but only a couple of inches had fallen at that point.
Other planes were taking off safely at the time, officials said.
The jet was registered to a Houston, Texas-based personal injury law firm.
One of the law firm’s founding partners is listed as the registered agent for the company that owns the plane.
The airport was closed immediately after the crash and won’t reopen until at least noon on Wednesday.
With Post wires
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