A Continental Airlines jet out of Newark Airport crashed in a fireball into a house in suburban Buffalo late last night, and officials feared all 48 people aboard were killed.
The commuter jet, Continental Flight 3407, reported mechanical problems as it approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport just after 10 p.m., the Buffalo News reported.
“We’ve had multiple fatalities,” a county official told a news conference.
There were conflicting reports on whether anyone on the ground died.
A firefighter, who wouldn’t give his name, told The Toronto Globe and Mail that the mid-sized plane hit the home just after 10 p.m., but that only two people on the ground were injured.
“The people in the house did get out,” the firefighter said.
Firefighters first focused on preventing aircraft fuel from exploding again, and just before midnight, the scene was said to be safe, the firefighter said.
The blaze was under control early this morning.
The flight, operated by Colgan Air, had been scheduled to arrive at 8:48 p.m., but had been delayed. It was set to arrive at around 10:25 p.m.
State Trooper John Manthey said the plane hit a house in the town of Clarence Center at around 10:10 p.m., igniting a huge blaze that spewed thick, choking smoke throughout the area.
Neighbors said the plane came in lower than normal before it crashed into the house.
“This one you knew definitely was very low, and then it was, Boom! like thunder. Very scary,” a woman who lives across from the home the plane hit told the Globe and Mail.
“The house is gone. totally gone,” neighbor Kelly Simkin told a local news station.
“We really think it only landed on one house. It is amazing what this plane maybe could have done.”
Another witness told the Globe and Mail:
“It was just like a movie. You just saw the explosion . . . It’s unbelievable. My heart is still in my throat. I’m still shaking.”
Neighbor Bob Dworak, 52, was at his home around the corner when he heard the boom and felt his home shake.
“We opened the door – you could smell smoke – and the sky was all lit up,” Dworak said. “It looked like the house had just been completely leveled and there were probably flames 50 or 100 feet up in the air.”
It wasn’t immediately clear if bad weather throughout the state was a factor in the crash.
But throughout the day, Buffalo experienced gusty winds, rain and snow, according to local reports.
With Post Wire Services