A private jet crash left seven people dead and one survivor seriously injured.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the plane went down while taking off around 7:45 p.m. local time on Sunday from Bangor International Airport in Maine, with eight people on board.
According to a report released by the FAA on Monday, the aircraft “crashed under unknown circumstances on departure, came to rest inverted, and caught fire,” resulting in seven fatalities and leaving one crew member seriously injured.
The identities of those involved have not been released as the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continue their investigation.
The FAA said in a statement that local authorities should be contacted for information about those on board and added that the NTSB is leading the investigation and will provide further updates.
The NTSB said a report determining the cause of the crash will be available within 30 days, but also referred inquiries about the identities of those on board to local authorities.
The Daily Beast reached out to the Bangor Police Department for comment regarding the identity of the survivor but received no immediate response.
The crash of the Bombardier Challenger 600 business jet occurred as airports across the U.S. experienced what is reportedly the highest number of flight cancellations since the COVID-19 pandemic, due to a winter storm affecting more than half the country and prompting travel warnings nationwide.
According to the Associated Press, the jet was registered to a Houston, Texas, corporation that shares its address with the personal injury firm Arnold & Itkin Trial Lawyers.
In recordings of controller conversations broadcast by LiveATC.net, an air traffic controller can be heard saying, “All traffic is stopped on the field! All traffic is stopped on the field!” before announcing, “Aircraft upside down. We have a passenger aircraft upside down,” shortly after the plane was cleared for takeoff.
At a news conference on Monday, airport director Jose Saavedra said that “first responders were on scene in under a minute” after emergency protocols were activated.
The Challenger 600, which launched in 1980 as the first private jet with a walk-around cabin, can seat a maximum of nine to 11 passengers, according to Air Charter Service.
