BUFFALO, New York (Reuters) - Forty nine people were killed when a passenger plane crashed into a house 10 miles (16 km) from Buffalo, New York, airport and burst into a ball of flames late on Thursday, officials said.
The plane, a Continental Connection flight operated by Colgan Air, was on a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo with 44 passengers and four crew on board when it crashed in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence Center amid rain and sleet, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
Erie County Executive Chris Collins said all 48 people on board the plane were killed. One person was killed in the house while two others escaped with minor injuries, he said.
"At this point there is no information whatsoever as to what the cause may be," Collins told a news conference early on Friday. He said the control tower lost contact with the plane before it landed but officials knew of no trouble.
"It's remarkable that it only took one house, as devastating as it was. It could have easily wiped out that whole neighbourhood," Dave Bissonette, emergency coordinator for the town of Clarence, said.
He said he heard a loud bang when the plane crashed a mile (1.6 km) from his home. "The only recognizable piece of the plane left is the tail," he said.
Colgan Air said the plane was a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400. The plane is a turboprop regional aircraft that can carry more than 70 people, and is made by Bombardier Colgan Air is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines
SNOW, MODERATE WIND
Weather conditions were not unusual for that part of upstate New York this time of year -- snow, 32 degrees F (0 degrees C), moderate wind, Bissonette said.
Clarence Town supervisor Scott Bylewski told the news conference: "I did hear what sounded like a door slamming ... I then went outside of my own house and could see that the sky was red."
The Buffalo News quoted Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority spokesman C. Douglas Hartmayer as saying there was little communication between the plane and the tower before the crash. It said crew members on the flight from Newark Airport had reported mechanical problems as they approached Buffalo.
An aviation source with knowledge of the incident said there was no distress call from the crew.
Colgan Air said in a statement the plane, Continental Airlines Flight 3407, crashed at about 10:20 p.m. (3:20 a.m. British time Friday).
The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates transportation accidents, planned to send a team to the site on Friday morning from Washington.
Because of the weather, investigators will immediately look at icing as a potential cause. Safety experts say even a small buildup of ice on the wings can affect aerodynamics although commercial aircraft are equipped with de-icing systems.
Investigators should be able to recover the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, which could yield important information about any mechanical problems or other potential causes.
'NO SOULS' TO TREAT
It was the first deadly U.S. airline accident since August 2006 when a similar number of people were killed when a Comair jet crashed on takeoff in Kentucky. Crew error was cited in that incident.
The U.S. airline industry has recorded its safest period overall since 2001, flying more than 500 million people annually with three fatal crashes -- all involving smaller regional carriers, not major airlines.
Thursday's crash came less than a month after the successful crash landing of a US Airways jetliner on the Hudson River in New York City. All 155 people on board survived after the plane struck birds that were sucked into both engines and pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger brought the plane down on the river. Passengers and crew were rescued by ferry boats.
Continental Airlines said it was profoundly saddened by the crash.
"Continental extends its deepest sympathy to the family members and loved ones of those involved in this accident," said Continental CEO Larry Kellner in a statement. "We are providing our full assistance to Colgan Air so that together we can provide as much support as possible for all concerned."
(Additional reporting by John Crawley and Mohammad Zargham in Washington and Daniel Trotta in New York, Editing by Howard Goller and Frances Kerry)
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