TRAGEDY: 49 Killed as Continental Connection Airplane Crash in Clarence Center, NY Home

For every miracle we witness like the “Miracle on the Hudson” where a a plane lands safely an all aboard survive, sadly we also have the tragic stories like that of Continental Connection  Flight 3407 from Newark, NJ to Buffalo, NY that crashed last night around 10:15 pm. According to reports from 2 On Your Side the plane went down on Long Street near the intersection of Goodrich and Clarence Center Roads approximately 10 miles from the Buffalo airport.

The Bombardier Q400, a twin-engine turboprop from Newark to Buffalo went down last night crashing into a home in Clarance Center, NY. All aboard and one on the ground were killed;  44 passengers, 4 crew members and one on the ground were killed. It was the first fatal crash of a commercial plane in the US since August 27, 2006.

The dead included 44 passengers, four crew members and a person on the ground.

A nurse at Erie County Medical Center said the hospital’s second shift had been told to stay late to treat survivors but was sent home before midnight.

“There were no souls to bring in and treat,” she said.

Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority spokesman C. Douglas Hartmayer said there was little communication between the plane, Flight 3407, and the tower before the crash. Crew members aboard the flight from Newark Airport had not reported mechanical problems as they approached Buffalo.

Tragedy Strikes Twice: September 11 Widow Killed in Buffalo Plane Crash

•  Concerned family members should call Continental Airlines at 1-800-621-3263.
• Residents in Clarence should call (716) 741-8930.

UPDATE I: Amature video at crash site

UPDATE II: Plane that Crashed was on Auto-Pilot

The commuter plane that crashed near Buffalo was on autopilot when it went down in icy weather, indicating that the pilot may have violated federal safety recommendations and the airline’s own policy for flying in such conditions, a federal official said Sunday.

Steve Chealander, a National Transportation Safety Board member, said the company that operated the flight recommends pilots fly manually in icy conditions. Pilots are required to do so in severe ice.