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'The Whole Sky Was Lit Up Orange'

'Direct hit' on house caused 50-foot flames

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 13, 2009 11:05 AM CST

(Newser) – The twin turboprop plane crash outside Buffalo that killed 50 was a “direct hit” on a house 7 miles from Buffalo’s international airport, CNN reports. "I was able to see the underbelly of the plane," said one witness. "It was only about 75 feet above me when it crossed the road, and it was literally within seconds of impact." A man inside the home was killed, but a mother and daughter escaped with only minor injuries.

“This is easily the saddest day in the history of our airline,” said the CEO of Colgan Air, the flight operator. President Obama offered his condolences to the families. “The whole sky was lit up orange," said one observer. "It felt like a mini-earthquake,” noted another. Some said they saw the plane take a nose-dive. The plane’s data recorders have been recovered, said a safety official, but a full investigation could take more than a year.

[Images (4)]

[Videos (1)]

Clarence Emergency Services Commissioner David Bissonette, center, speaks at a news conference on the plane. (AP Photo/John Hickey)

The plane burns in Clarence Center, NY, near Buffalo. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

The plane burns after it crashed into a house in Clarence Center, NY, near Buffalo, last night. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

Firefighters work to extinguish the fire at the site of the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 in Clarence Center, NY, near Buffalo. (AP Photo/Charles Anderson)

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A witness to the Colgan Air commuter plane crash in Clarence, NY, near Buffalo, describes what he observed. (YouTube)

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'The Whole Sky Was Lit Up Orange'