A Jet Crash in Bangor: What Went Wrong?

A private jet took off in a snowstorm, and things went terribly wrong. Seven people lost their lives, and one crew member is fighting for their life after a crash at Bangor International Airport. The jet, a Bombardier Challenger 600, was heading out around 7:45 p. m. on Sunday night. The airport shut down right after the crash, but snow wasn't the only issue. The jet belonged to a company linked to a Houston law firm. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are looking into what happened. They found the plane crashed right after takeoff and caught fire. But they won't say more until they get to the scene in a day or two. Air traffic control recordings reveal chaos. About 45 seconds after the jet was cleared for takeoff, someone reported, "Aircraft upside down. We have a passenger aircraft upside down. " First responders arrived less than a minute later. The airport director, Jose Saavedra, didn't have many answers at a news conference on Monday. He said he was waiting for guidance from federal partners.Bangor International Airport is a busy hub, offering flights to places like Orlando and Washington, D. C. It's about 200 miles north of Boston. The airport closed after the crash and won't reopen until at least noon on Wednesday. The crash happened during a massive winter storm that hit much of the country. Bangor had steady snowfall, but planes were still taking off and landing around the time of the crash. The National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine, reported nearly 10 inches of snow at the airport. But at the time of the crash, snowfall was light. The airport is used to handling winter weather. Saavedra mentioned that crews are trained to respond to weather events regularly. The storm caused major disruptions across the eastern U. S. Thousands of flights were canceled or delayed. Airports in Philadelphia, Washington, and New York were among the hardest hit. The Bombardier Challenger 600 is a popular business jet, known for its spacious cabin. It was launched in 1980 and can carry up to 11 passengers. Bangor International Airport is a key hub for northern and eastern Maine. It has a long-standing agreement with the Maine Air National Guard, ensuring runways are ready no matter the weather. The airport's website even boasts, "A little snow doesn't scare us. " But this time, something went wrong.