As many as 48 passengers and crew may have died in a crash of a Continental Express flight from Newark International to Buffalo, NY. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched a team of investigators to probe the crash of the turboprop airliner. Bad weather is reportedly a contributor to the crash. The flight has been identified as Continental Express 3407.
The NTSB said the crash occurred at about 10:15 p.m. (EST) Thursday, February 12, involving a Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 twin-engine turboprop airplane, registration N200WQ, operated by Colgan Air, Inc., as Continental Express flight 3407 from Newark, NJ. The aircraft crashed into a house during an instrument approach to Buffalo International Airport. It appears all aboard the aircraft lost their lives and there is a report of at least one ground fatality, the NTSB said.
The Federal Aviation Administration, Colgan Air, and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) will be parties to the NTSB's investigation. The aircraft and engines were manufactured in Canada, and the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada has appointed an Accredited Representative who will arrive on scene today along with technical advisors from TSB, Bombardier Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney Canada. An NTSB media briefing will be announced later today.
Visit www.ntsb.gov.