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.

Small Plane Carrying 6 People Crashes Off Puerto Rico Coast … 5 Passengers & Pilot Aboard were Americans

A Cessna 206, single engine plane chartered by Tropical Aviation Corp., carrying 6 passengers has crashed off the north coast of Puerto Rico and into the Atlantic Ocean. According to reports, the 5 missing passengers and the pilot were all Americans. The plane was traveling from the Casa de Campo International Airport in the Dominican Republic to San Juan, PR. There have been no reports of finding any survivors at this time. 

Cessna 206 Likeness, not actual plane

Authorities located a debris field off the northwestern city of Quebradillas, and helicopters and boats have been searching for survivors, Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad said.

The missing pilot and all five passengers are U.S. citizens, Castrodad said.

Witnesses reported seeing an explosion on the plane before it crashed around nightfall Sunday about a half-mile (a kilometer) offshore, police spokeswoman Jessica Cardona said.

Rescue crews were hoping the search for survivors would become easier after daybreak.

UPDATE I: In another tragic plane crash story … Plane Crashes in Amazon on Way to Birthday Party; 24 Dead

Read more

Miracle on the Hudson: US Airway Plane Crashes into Hudson River … Amazing All Aboard Survive

It is being touted as The Miracle on the Hudson, a US Airways plane en route from LaGuardia Airport in NYC for Charlotte, NC crashed into the Hudson River and all 155 passengers survived and were pulled to safety. It is being reported that US Airlines Flight 1549 went down minutes after takeoff after a collision with a flock of birds apparently knocked out both engines.

 You Tube Hat Tip: The Gateway Pundit

A US Airways pilot ditched his disabled jetliner into the frigid Hudson River on Thursday afternoon after a collision with a flock of birds apparently knocked out both engines, but officials said rescuers pulled all 155 people on board into boats as the plane sank.
There were no immediate reports of any serious injuries.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an experienced pilot, said it appeared the pilot did “a masterful job of landing the plane in the river and then making sure everybody got out.” And Gov. David Patterson pronounced it “a miracle on the Hudson.”

Flight 1549 went down minutes after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport for Charlotte, N.C., splashing into the river near 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.

“There were eyewitness reports the plane may have flown into a flock of birds,” said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown. “Right now we don’t have any indication this was anything other than an accident.”

Hot Air and Michelle Malkin have been blogging the events with numerous updates.

UPDATE I: Miracle on the Hudson … “Prepare for Impact”

“Prepare for impact!” was all the pilot of the US Airways airplane told the passengers before making an emergency landing in the Hudson River Thursday afternoon.

Longer Safer Runways at Reina Beatrix Airport in Aruba … What Took You So Long?

It is nice to see Aruba finally got around to making sure that their runways were safe for tourists as airplanes land and take off. Just how many planes have taken off and landed from Reina Beatrix airport with what would have been the shorter runway?

“The most important objective was extending the runways, so that extra safety zones are created. These safety zones are for aircrafts that have trouble during take off and landing”

Safety zones for aircrafts that have trouble during take off and landing? Important objective? If it was so important, why was this not done years ago, like say the 1980’s?

Longer runways ready

ORANJESTAD – The project for safer runways of the Reina Beatrix airport is officially complete. The runways are now 60 meters longer and better illuminated. The total cost of this project called Runway End Safety Area & Safety Approach Lighting System is more than 13 million florins. Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) started with this project in November of 2007. “The most important objective was extending the runways, so that extra safety zones are created. These safety zones are for aircrafts that have trouble during take off and landing”, said Peter Steinmetz, director of AAA. (Amigoe: July 1, 2008)

Tragic Plane Crash in Panama Leaves 3 Dead; Michael Klein, 37, Talia Klein, 13, and pilot Edwin Lasso, 23. One Surviver

The small plane carrier Michael Klein, 37, Talia Klein, 13, Francesca Lewis, 12, and pilot Edwin Lasso, 23, had first gone missing over the weekend in Panama. Then the tragic news came upon the search and recovery as 3 people were found dead and 1 survivor.

Michael Klein, 37, Talia Klein, 13, and pilot Edwin Lasso, 23, were found dead in an uninhabited region of Panama known as Las Ovejas, about 270 miles west of the capital, the civil protection agency said.

Wife of Missing Steve Fossett Asks Court to Declare him Dead

The wife of missing millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett asked the court today to legally declare him dead. Attorney Michael A. LoVallo filed the motion today in Cook County Circuit Court on behalf of the Fossett family. 63 year old Steve Fossett went missing on September 3, 2007 after he took off in his single engine plane from an airstrip near Yerington, Nevada. The request to declare Steve Fossett dead is the first step in the process of resolving the multi-millionaires estate surpassing eight figures in liquid assets and other holdings.

The request was a step toward resolving the legal status of Fossett’s estate, which according to court papers is “vast, surpassing eight figures in liquid assets, various entities and real estate,” LoVallo said.

Fossett, 63, disappeared Sept. 3 after taking off in a single-engine plane from an airstrip near Yerington, Nev., heading toward Bishop, Calif.

Fossett was on a pleasure flight and not looking for a dry lake to use as a surface on which to set the world land speed record, as was initially reported, according to the petition filed on behalf of Peggy V. Fossett.

He did not have a parachute, nor did he take a watch that had a transponder and could have sent out a distress signal, the petition said. There was a transponder aboard but no signal was received. (Yahoo News)

Scared Monkeys Radio Daily Commentary – Friday, October 5, 2007 – Don Imus Returns To The Airwaves

• Dana comments on the return of Imus, and its relevance in relation to recent high-profile broadcaster litigation.

Download and Comment at the all new ScaredMonkeysRadio.Com

Millionaire Adventurer Steve Fossett is Missing in Nevada … Plane missing

Steve Fossett, the millionaire adventurer who has done some many death defying aviation acts and has set so many records is missing in the Nevada desert. His single engine plane is reported missing. Fossett was last reportedly seen taking off from the private airfield at the Flying M Ranch near Yerington, Nevada, on Monday evening.

Read more and get updates at MissingExploited.

Miracle Escape for Passengers Aboard China Airlines in Okinawa

Miracle Aboard China Airlines

Its a miracle. All 165 passengers aboard a China Airlines Boeing 737-800 that slid off the runway and exploded upon landing at Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan survived. Simple amazing, that all could have survived will no real injuries.

Read more

Daily Commentary – Tuesday April 17th, 2007 – Family Finds Closure After WWII Flyer ID’ed

Dana discusses how:

• Family Finds Closure After WWII Flyer ID’ed

Air Force 1st Lt. Archibald Kelly’s Remains ID’d after 63 Years