Jet with eight aboard crashes on takeoff in Maine, closing Bangor airport
A plane crashed Sunday evening at Bangor International Airport, Maine. Image by UPI
Jan. 25 (UPI) — A jet with eight people aboard crashed Sunday evening in Maine, prompting officials to close Bangor International Airport.
“An incident at the airport is under investigation,” Bangor International Airport said in a statement Sunday night, urging the public to avoid the travel hub at this time.
“First responders are on scene and assessing the situation.”
The Bombardier Challenger 600 crashed at about 7:45 p.m. EST Sunday as it was taking off from the airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
The Bangor Police Department said in a late Sunday press release that emergency crews were responding to the incident and were expected to be active at the site for several more hours.
The condition of the eight people on board was not yet known.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.
Maine and much of the Eastern United States was under a winter storm warning when the crash occurred. The National Weather Service on Sunday evening said heavy snow was forecast, with up to 16 inches expected and locally higher totals possible for the coast. the warning would be in place until early Tuesday.
“A winter storm warning for snow means severe winter weather conditions will make travel extremely dangerous,” it said.
This is a developing story.