An airliner crashed into a home in the U.S. state of New York on Thursday evening, killing all 49 people aboard and another person on the ground, authorities said early Friday.
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Firefighters are seen at the crash site of Continental Connection Flight 3407 operated by Colgan Air, which crashed in Clarence, near Buffalo, New York February 13, 2009. Forty nine people were killed when a plane crashed into a house near Buffalo, New York, and burst into a ball of flames late on Thursday, officials said. [Xinhua/Reuters Photo] |
Authorities are still investigating causes of the tragedy, but a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said crew of the ill-fated plane had discussed "significant ice buildup" on the windshield and wings before the crash.
However, Stephen Chealander, the NTSB spokesman, refrained from pinning ice buildup as the culprit of the crash, which killed five crewmembers and 44 passengers, including one Chinese national.
Yao Shibin, born in 1971, was an employee of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said Luo Gang, a consul at the Consulate General.
Yao's husband, Pan Xiaojun, will be flying to Buffalo shortly.
Chealander said the 50-seat commuter plane was equipped with pneumatic icing boots. When turned on, the device would usually expand and break free ice that has developed at the wings' edges,
Chealander said authorities are still sifting through the wreckage at the site to recover the remains of the victims.
Both data and voice recorders, or black boxes, of the plane have been recovered and sent to Washington for further analysis.
The crash occurred at around 10:20 p.m. Thursday (0320 GMT Friday) in suburban Buffalo in northern New York state, nearly a seven-hour drive from New York City.
The perimeter of the crash site has been cordoned off, but witnesses living nearby have yet to recover from the fiery scene.
Ryan Mutton, who lives near the airport and is familiar of the sound of planes, "heard something usual" at around 10:15 pm Thursday.
"I got over there as soon as possible, about five minutes later," Mutton said, "It's just like a bang fire."
Allison Blady, another middle-aged witness, saw the plane "coming down just over my house."
"I saw the crash, and a big flame ball," She said. "I'm panicked, scared, and very sad."
Joanathon Wiseman, a teenage boy, also heard a big bang. "Smoke was coming down the street. You couldn't even breathe."
According to a partial list published on the website of Buffalo News, the victims also included a 55-year-old Chinese American, Zhaofang Guo, of Williamsville, New York.
The 50-seat commuter plane, Continental Express Flight 3407 operated by Colgan Air, was flying from Newark to Buffalo when it dived into a single-home house in Clarence Center.
A man in the house was killed but two women were able to escape with minor injuries.
Twelve homes near the crash site had been evacuated.
At Buffalo Airport, a grateful Marti Becony hugged her husband, David, who had missed flight 3407 when he tried to transfer at Newark, escaping death.
"It was really a long trip," David told media.
Also among the victims in the deadly crash was Beverly Eckert, who lost her husband in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Both U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who served as a senator from the state of New York, paid tribute to Eckert on Friday.
Obama, speaking in the White House's East Room, said Eckert "was an inspiration to me and to so many others, and I pray that her family finds peace and comfort in the hard days ahead."
In New York, Clinton told a gathering at the Asia Society that Eckert was one of the "principal champions of the idea of the creation of the 911 commission." She thanked her for "all she did in the midst of her own tragedy."
The Continental Airlines issued a statement early Friday expressing sadness concerning the crash.
"Continental extends its deepest sympathy to the family members and loved ones of those involved in this accident," Larry Kellner, chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines, said in the statement.
(Xinhua News Agency February 13, 2009)