Vorlage:Current Vorlage:Infobox Airliner accident
Continental Connection Flight 3407 or Colgan Air Flight 3407 was a Continental Airlines code share flight operated by regional airline Colgan Air between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey and Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) in New York.
Shortly after its last communication at 10:11 p.m. EST on February 12, 2009 (03:11, February 13 UTC), the plane crashed into a house in the northeast Buffalo suburb of Clarence Center, Vorlage:Convert short of BUF's Runway 23, killing everyone on board. A total of 50 people were killed, including two pilots, two flight attendants, 44 passengers, one off-duty pilot, and one resident of the house. The crew made no emergency declaration before the crash.
Flight details
Flight 3407 was a 74-seat Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprop operated by Colgan Air, equipped with deicing boots. The Q400 model has been involved in 13 incidentsVorlage:Clarify, but this is the first fatality. This particular plane was put into service in April 2008.[1] It was en route from Newark Liberty International Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The flight was one of seven Continental flights bound for Buffalo Niagara that day, out of a total of 110 incoming and departing flights across all carriers.[2]
The crew consisted of Captain Marvin Renslow, hired by Colgan in 2005, and who had flown 3,379 hours. First Officer Rebecca Lynne Shaw of Maple Valley, Washington[3] was hired by Colgan in January 2008, and had flown 2,244 hours. Flight Attendants Matilda Quintero and Donna Prisco both joined Colgan in May 2008. Captain Joseph Zuffoletto, an off-duty crew member aboard flight 3407, was hired by Colgan in September 2005.[4][5]
During the flight, the crew discussed significant ice buildup on the aircraft's wings and windshield shortly before the incident occurred.[6]
Crash
The aircraft had been cleared for the ILS Runway 23 approach to the nearby Buffalo Niagara International Airport when it disappeared from radar.[7][8][9][10] Last radio contact was made when the plane was 3 miles from a radio beacon 4 miles to the northeast of the airport, when First Officer Shaw acknowledged a routine instruction to change to tower frequency with the flight's numbers, 3407. There was no further communication from the flight crew afterwards. The tower contacted nearby Delta Flight 1998 for a visual and received a negative reply before contacting authorities on the ground.[5]
According to eyewitnesses, the plane was nearly vertical when it crashed into a house at 6038 Long Street, Clarence Center about 6 miles from the end of the runway, directly under the approach path.[11][2] It was the home of Douglas and Karen Wielinski as well as their daughter Kimberley. Douglas was killed and the other two escaped with minor injuries.[12][13] The house was completely destroyed. The lots in the area are only 60 feet wide, but the plane was in a steep dive and hit the house directly, with minimal damage to surrounding homes.
The home is around the corner from the Clarence Center Fire Company, so emergency personnel were able to respond quickly.[2] The crash also sparked a large fire, causing the evacuation of 12 houses. Officials did not expect the crash site to be safe for investigators until about noon the day after the crash.[10]
The total number of reported fatalities was 50 (49 on board and one on the ground). There were also four reported injuries on the ground: two individuals inside the house plus two firefighters. Among the reported dead were human rights investigator Alison Des Forges, an expert on the Rwandan genocide;[14] jazz musicians Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett, en route to a concert with Chuck Mangione and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra[15]; and Beverly Eckert, who became co-chair of the 9/11 Family Steering Committee and a leader of "Voices of September 11" after her husband Sean Rooney was killed in the September 11 attacks. Eckert was en route to Buffalo to celebrate her late husband's 58th birthday and to give a scholarship in his memory at Canisius High School.[16] Two residents were treated at the Millard Fillmore Suburban hospital.[2] On the ground, Doug Wielinski was killed, while his wife Karen Wielinski and daughter Jill escaped the house with minor injuries.[1][17]
The flight crew had not reported any problem to Buffalo approach control personnel. After several attempts to hail the crew, controllers requested the assistance of Delta Flight 1998 and US Airways Flight 1452, in making visual contact with the missing airplane; the Delta crew responded that they did not see the plane, saying "Negative." in the audio recording.[18] The last radar position (unofficial) was at 10:11 PM Eastern time.[19] Weather conditions were a wintry mix in the area, with light snow, fog, and Vorlage:Convert winds.[11] Two other aircraft reported icing conditions around the time of the crash.[5]
It was the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since the crash of Comair Flight 191 in August 2006.
Investigation
Continental Airlines Inc. said Colgan Air was "in the process of collecting information."[11] The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that they would send a team to the crash site on February 13 to begin the investigation.[7] NTSB spokesman Steve Chealander said that 14 investigators were assigned to the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407.[11] Both the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) have been retrieved and are currently being analyzed in Washington, D.C.[6][20] The DHS reported there was no indication of terrorism.[17]
After initial FDR and CVR analysis, it was determined that the aircraft went through "severe pitch and roll" oscillations after positioning its flaps and landing gear for landing. Up until this point, the plane had been handling normally. The de-icing system was reported to be turned on.[6][21]
Reactions
Colgan Airways set up a telephone number for families and friends of those affected to call on February 13,[22] and a family assistance center was opened at the Cheektowaga Senior Center in Cheektowaga, New York.[23] The American Red Cross also opened reception centers in Buffalo and Newark where family members could receive support from mental health and spiritual care workers.[24]
U.S. President Barack Obama extended condolences before the 10:30 am Business Council meeting in the East Room of the White House on the 13th, thanking the first responders and specifically mentioning Beverly Eckert.[16] New Jersey governor Jon Corzine followed suit, and New York governor David Paterson plans to visit the site of the crash. Just after 2:30 p.m., the U.S. House of Representatives, held a moment of silence for the victims, and their families.[25]
Philip H. Trenary, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Airlines, Colgan's parent company, also expressed condolences in a press release on the 13th, and pledged to "commit all needed resources to assist the NTSB's investigation of the accident".[23] The Colgan Air founder and former owner, Virginia State Senator Charles J. Colgan, made a similar statement. [22]
See also
References
External links
- Flight path for CJC3407 in 3D/Google Earth at fboweb.com
- Flight track data for Continental Connection flight 3407 at fboweb.com
- Information Regarding Flight 3407 - Continental Airlines
- Flight tracker and Track log
- CNN Fireman Interview
- Flickr photo set of the crash
- / ATC Recording of flight 3407
- A picture of the aircraft taken in late 2008.
- ↑ a b Dolmetsch, Chris; Miller, Hugo (2009-02-13). Continental Flight Crashes Near Buffalo, Killing 50 (Update3). Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ↑ a b c d Carey, Elizabeth (2009-02-13). Buffalo area plane crash claims 50 lives. The Business Review. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ↑ "Co-pilot of crashed plane was from Wash" (2009-02-13). Katu. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ↑ Flight 3407 crew members names released. wivb.com, 13. Februar 2009, abgerufen am 13. Februar 2009.
- ↑ a b c All Calm Moments Before Plane Crashes (2009-02-13). CBS News. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ↑ a b c NTSB: Crew reported ice buildup before crash. MSNBC, 13. Februar 2009, abgerufen am 13. Februar 2009.
- ↑ a b Dale Anderson and Phil Fairbanks: Federal investigators begin searching for the cause of Clarence Center crash. The Buffalo News, 12. Februar 2009, abgerufen am 12. Februar 2009.
- ↑ Recording of air traffic controller LiveATC.net Archive for Buffalo, 22:00-22:30 EST
- ↑ Commuter Plane Crashes Into New York Home. cbsnews.com, 12. Februar 2009, abgerufen am 12. Februar 2009.
- ↑ a b Plane with 49 aboard crashes into house in suburban Buffalo. CNN, 13. Februar 2009, abgerufen am 13. Februar 2009.
- ↑ a b c d John Wawrow: Fiery plane crash in upstate NY kills 50, Yahoo!, 13. Februar 2009
- ↑ Karen Wielinski tells her story of survival after Flight 3407 crashed into her home February 13, 2009
- ↑ Mom, daughter escape after plane crashes into home February 13, 2009
- ↑ Fiery Plane Crash In Upstate N.Y. Kills 50 (2009-02-13). NPR. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ↑ Publicist: 2 Mangione musicians die in plane crash
- ↑ a b Tapper, Jake; Travers, Karen (2009-02-13). "President Obama Mentions Plane Crash, and Victim Beverly Eckert". Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ↑ a b Commuter Plane Crashes Into Buffalo-Area Home; 50 Killed. Fox News. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ↑ Recording of air traffic controller LiveATC.net Archive for Buffalo, 22:00-22:30 EST
- ↑ Track log for Continental Connection flight 3407 (CJC3407) at fboweb.com
- ↑ Black Boxes Found From Buffalo Crash. cbsnews.com, 13. Februar 2009, abgerufen am 13. Februar 2009.
- ↑ NTSB: Crew Saw Ice Buildup Before Crash. cbsnews.com, 13. Februar 2009, abgerufen am 13. Februar 2009.
- ↑ a b Streng, Aileen (2009-02-13). "Colgan rushes to Manassas after N.Y. plane crash". InsideNova.
- ↑ a b "Colgan Air, Inc. Releases Additional Information Regarding Flight 3407" (PDF) (2009-02-13). Colgan Air. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ↑ "Red Cross Provides Comfort and Counseling to Families of Buffalo Plane Crash". American Red Cross. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ↑ "Local Leaders React In Wake Of Flight 3407 Crash" (2009-02-13). WCBSTV. Retrieved 2009-02-13.