Buffalo Plane Crash

February 12, 2009
Forty-nine people were killed when a commuter flight crashed into a neighborhood in Clarence Center, NY just after 10:00pm (local time) on February 12th, igniting a fire visible from miles away.

Continental Connection Flight 3407 was en route to Buffalo, NY from Newark, NJ when it crashed into a house in a suburban neighborhood in western New York, 15 miles northeast of Buffalo. A fire began after the crashed and forced an evacuation of 12 nearby homes and damaged several others. One person on the ground was killed and two others injured.

After an investigation of the flight data recorder aboard the aircraft, the National Transportation Safety Board believes pilot error may have been the cause for the accident. Ice buildup and problems with the plane’s de-icing equipment may have also played a role in the accident.

Selected Updates

NC4 Incident Monitoring Center issued the following alerts:

• Unconfirmed sources are reporting that an aircraft has crashed into a house near Long St and Maple St.  2/12/09 19:31 PST
  
  
• Aircraft now reported as a commercial prop aircraft.   2/12/09 20:46 PST
  

• Aircraft identified as Colgan Flight 3407 from Newark to Buffalo.   2/12/09 21:13 PST
  

• Crew members had reported mechanical problems moments before the crash.
  2/12/09 21:20 PST
  
  
• Authorities confirm 49 deaths in Continental airliner crash.   2/12/09 22:04 PST
  
  
• Fire extinguished; cause of crash remains under investigation.  2/13/09 14:11 PST
  

 

Additional Resources
NC4 provides ongoing updates to members as the incident unfolds through the National Incident Monitoring Center (NIMC). NIMC analysts follow the incident using official government sources as well as national and local media sources - linking to the local breaking news article, Plane crashes into Clarence Center home, including images from the scene and eyewitness reports.

One-page printable summary with graphics