50 Dead in Buffalo Plane Crash

Continental Airlines commuter jet smashes into home after mechanical problems
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 12, 2009 11:40 PM CST

A Continental Airlines commuter jet crashed into a house in a hamlet near Buffalo late last night, killing all 49 passengers and crew on board and one person on the ground, the Buffalo News reports. The crash caused a huge blaze that could be seen miles away. Officials say crew members on the flight from Newark reported mechanical problem as they approached Buffalo.

"The plane simply dropped off the radar screen," said a transport spokesman. The crash completely leveled a house in Clarence Centre, said neighbors. "There was no house, just a pile of rubble still burning," said one person who rushed to the scene. A federal team is being sent to investigate the crash, America's deadliest since 2006. (More Buffalo stories.)

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