50 Dead After Horrific Plane Crash
By: Mark Moseley/Austin Kellerman/CNN
Updated: February 13, 2009
A Continental Airlines plane crashed into a home near Buffalo, New York, late Thursday, killing all 49 passengers and crew members and a person in the home, authorities said.
Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into a house in Clarence Center, New York, late Thursday.
Continental Connection Flight 3407, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 74-seat turboprop, operated by Colgan Air, was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo when it went down at around 10:20 p.m. ET. The crash occurred about seven miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
Dave Bissonette, Clarence Center's natural disaster services coordinator, said it was "clearly a direct hit" on the house.
"The only recognizable piece of the plane left is the tail," Bissonette said.
The ferocity of the fire was such that officials don't expect the crash site to be safe for investigators until about noon Friday, nearly 14 hours after the crash.
Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into a house in Clarence Center, New York, late Thursday.
Continental Connection Flight 3407, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 74-seat turboprop, operated by Colgan Air, was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo when it went down at around 10:20 p.m. ET. The crash occurred about seven miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
Dave Bissonette, Clarence Center's natural disaster services coordinator, said it was "clearly a direct hit" on the house.
"The only recognizable piece of the plane left is the tail," Bissonette said.
The ferocity of the fire was such that officials don't expect the crash site to be safe for investigators until about noon Friday, nearly 14 hours after the crash.
Images courtesy: Stephen Wallace
