9/11 widow among 50 killed after commuter plane crashes into home in Buffalo

This is absolutely awful, and I hope they can determine a cause pretty quick. I'm surprised there were no mayday calls or anything, but who knows what went wrong.

It seems that the co-pilot was a woman.

Tragic. Of course we'll have to wait for an investigation, but based on weather and conditions, icing of one or both wings would have to be a prime suspect.

2,300 ft is only about 700 meters above the ground. With only the tail as the recognizable part left in the wreckage really tells us that the plane is still in high-speed descend. Perhaps the plane thought that it was still high in the air and it took a more thrust to go down to 2300 feet.

Perhaps, the altimeter was not calibrated to the right altitude. Or somebody in the ILS operator alter the computerized ground-level reference like what the villain in the DIE-HARD-2 movie did.

I read that one of the passengers was a 9/11 widow...

@nano: ....or maybe Mothra pushed the plane into the ground. You forgot that one.

From the latest stuff I've read, it sounds like icing.

The storm caused flights to Newark Liberty International Airport to be delayed by more than five hours on Thursday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. That was unusual even for that airport, which routinely has some of the worst delays of any destination in the country.

It's called Liberty Airport because on a clear day the Statue of Liberty is visible from it. Continental has a large commuter hub there.

Yabits, the 9/11 widow was traveling to Buffalo to make a presentation for a scholarship for high school students she endowed in her husband's name.

williamsmith,

I don't see the relevance of the co-pilot's sex.

And yes, a 9/11 widow was on the plane. She was on her way to a party celebrating her deceased husband's 58th birthday.

A great shock to the passengers' relatives. Condolences.

Betzee, thank you. I note that the title of this thread has been updated to reflect more of the tragic facts of this event.

Let us hope that what is learned from this will be applied to make future air travel even safer than its already stellar record.

Well, with the title update this is officially even worse. What a horrible event. My heart goes out to those lost and their loved ones.

Between the wind, dropping temperatures and percipitation that was in the area yesterday I would agree with icing. Tragic. That was one heck of an impact and fire. I wonder what kind of shape the flight data recorders are in.

This is a horrible accident. My prayers to the families of the victoms. They just found the flight recorders. < :-)

Condolences and prayers for those lost and their loved ones.

The plane was carrying 5,000 pounds of fuel and apparently exploded on impact

I know there have been efforts made to reduce the combustibility of jet fuel to avoid explosions like this. Apparently not much progress has been made. Anyway, a tragic event.