Cause Identified Behind the Maine Plane Crash That Killed 7 People—A Horrifying Discovery

A private jet crashed on Sunday evening at Bangor International Airport in Maine, killing all seven passengers and seriously injuring the plane’s eighth occupant, a crew member, the authorities said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the plane, a Bombardier Challenger 600, crashed as it was taking off from the airport around 7:45 p.m., as a winter storm as bringing heavy snow and wind across the East Coast. The agency said that, based on preliminary information, the plane crashed on departure, “came to rest inverted and caught on fire.”

At a news conference at Bangor International Airport on Monday morning, the airport director, Jose Saavedra, said emergency workers were on the scene in less than a minute. The Maine Air National Guard responded with fire and rescue vehicles, and firefighters from Bangor and about 10 other municipalities also responded, he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said that a team of investigators was on its way to the scene on Monday and that it would not have further updates until after they arrive in Maine, where a winter storm warning was in effect. “Due to the weather, it is difficult to predict when that will be, but we expect it will be in the next day or two,” the N.T.S.B. said.

The airport remained closed on Monday as emergency crews worked at the crash scene. The airport said on social media that it was expected to remain closed until at least Tuesday afternoon.