Small plane crashes in Clarence Center [Archive]

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 02:17 AM

Yup, Sara...

It's about a 20 minute drive from my house. I have cousins that live in the same town-a few miles from the crash site.

Plane crash in upstate NY kills 49 people
By JOHN WAWROW John Wawrow – 6 mins ago

CLARENCE, N.Y. – A commuter plane crashed into a suburban Buffalo home and erupted in flames late Thursday, killing all 48 people aboard and one person on the ground, authorities said.

Flames silhouetted the shattered home after Continental Connection Flight 3407 plummeted into it around 10:20 p.m.

"The whole sky was lit up orange," said Bob Dworak, who lives less than a mile from the crash site. "All the sudden, there was a big bang, and the house shook."

The 74-seat Q400 Bombardier aircraft, operated by Colgan Air, was flying from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in light snow, fog and 17 mph winds.

Dworak said while residents of his neighborhood about 10 miles from the Buffalo airport were used to planes rumbling overhead, but this one sounded louder than usual, sputtered and made some odd noises. After hearing the crash, he drove over to take a look, and "all we were seeing was 50 to 100 foot flames and a pile of rubble on the ground. It looked like the house just got destroyed the instant it got hit," he said.

Witness Tony Tatro said he saw the plane flying low and knew it was in trouble.

"It was not spiraling at all. The left wing was a little low," he told WGRZ-TV.

It was the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since Aug. 27, 2006, when 49 people were killed after a Comair jetliner took off from a Lexington, Ky., runway that was too short.

Prior to the crash, the voice of a female pilot on Continental flight 3407 can be heard communicating with air traffic controllers, according to a recording of the Buffalo air traffic control's radio messages shortly before the crash captured by the Web site http://www.liveatc.net. Neither the controller nor the pilot exchange any concerns that anything is out of the ordinary as the airplane is asked to fly at 2,300 feet.

A minute later, the controller tries to contact the plane saying but hears no response. After a pause, he tries to contact the plane again.

Then the controller asks the pilot of a nearby Delta Air Lines plane to see if he can see the Continental flight.

"Delta 1998, look off your right side about 5 miles for a Dash 8 about 2,300 (feet). You see anything there?" he asks.

"Uh, negative," the Delta pilot says.

Houston-based Continental Airlines issued a statement saying that preliminary information showed the plane carried 44 passengers and a crew of four.

"At this time, the full resources of Colgan Air's accident response team are being mobilized and will be devoted to cooperating with all authorities responding to the accident and to contacting family members and providing assistance to them," the statement said.

Chris Kausner, believing his sister was on the plane, rushed to a hastily established command center after calling his vacationing mother in Florida to break the news.

"To tell you the truth, I heard my mother make a noise on the phone that I've never heard before. So not good, not good," he told reporters.

Clarence emergency control director Dave Bissonette said the crash also killed one person on the ground.

Manassas, Va.-based Colgan did not immediately return telephone calls. The Federal Aviation Administration had no immediate comment.

Twelve homes were evacuated near the crash site, about 10 miles from the airport. The tail or part of a wing was visible through flames and thick smoke that engulfed the scene.

Two women believed to be residents of the neighborhood were being treated at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital for what were described as non-life threatening injuries, hospital spokesman Michael Hughes said.

They were transported by ambulance approximately 11:35 p.m.

The crash came less than a month after a US Airways pilot guided his crippled plane to a landing in the Hudson River off Manhattan, saving the lives of all 155 people aboard. Birds had apparently disabled both its engines.

On Dec. 20, a Continental Airlines plane veered off a runway and slid into a snowy field at the Denver airport, injuring 38 people.

Continental's release said relatives and friends of those on Flight 3407 who wanted to give or receive information about those on board could telephone a special family assistance number, 1-800-621-3263.

___

Associated Press writers Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, Linda Franklin in Dallas, Daniel Yee in Atlanta and Cristian Salazar and Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090213/ap_on_re_us/plane_into_home

My prayers go out for the victims and their families...

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 02:18 AM

Update regarding
airplane crash of
Continental Flight
#3407
News Release

Updated: Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 2:09 AM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 1:59 AM EST

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) - Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital released the following information regarding Continental Flight #3407, which crashed late Thursday night in Clarence Center, New York.

Emergency department crews at the hospital are treating two females, who are believed to be residents of the Long Street neighborhood where the plane crashed.

They were transported by ambulance to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital at approximately 11:35 p.m., with non-life threatening injuries.

Less than seven miles away, Millard Fillmore Suburban is the closest hospital to the crash site, which has been reported to be 6050 Long Street, Clarence Center.

For families looking for information regarding the flight or its passengers, they are asked to call the Continental Airlines hotline, 1-800-621-3263.

The Town of Clarence number is 716-741-8930. Hospitals officials early Friday morning also confirmed they are on standby in the event fire officials or any other patients need evaluation.

Millard Fillmore Suburban recently underwent a $64 million expansion, which includes a new, state of the art decontamination room.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/update_regarding_airplane_crash_of_continental_fli ght_3407_090212

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 02:42 AM

Pix-from various news agencies...

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/Clarence3_20090212234606_320_240.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/Clarence1_20090212234514_320_240.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/Clarence2_20090212234541_320_240.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/988-Local_plane_crash_Wippert_001_s.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/903-343-Local_plane_crash_Wippert_0.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/695-Local_plane_crash_Wippert_stand.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/429-Local_plane_crash_Wippert_002_s.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/362-5Local_plane_crash_Wippert_stan.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/100-winterbackweather_fire_standalo.jpg

I'll check later for more pictures-in the daylight.

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 04:14 AM

Plane crash in upstate NY kills 49 people
By JOHN WAWROW John Wawrow – 32 mins ago

CLARENCE, N.Y. – A sputtering commuter plane slammed into a suburban Buffalo home in a fiery explosion that killed all 48 people on board and one person on the ground, authorities said.

Flames silhouetted the shattered home after Continental Connection Flight 3407 plummeted into it around 10:20 p.m.

"The whole sky was lit up orange," said Bob Dworak, who lives less than a mile from the crash site. "All the sudden, there was a big bang, and the house shook."

The 74-seat Q400 Bombardier aircraft was carrying 5,000 pounds of fuel and apparently exploded on impact, Erie County Executive Chris Collins said.

Firefighters got as close to the plane as they could, he said. "They were shouting out to see if there were any survivors on the plane. Truly a very heroic effort, but there were no survivors."

The twin-turboprop operated by Colgan Air was flying from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in light snow, fog and 17 mph winds.

Prior to the crash, the voice of a female pilot on Flight 3407 could be heard communicating with air traffic controllers, according to a recording of the Buffalo air traffic control's radio messages shortly before the crash captured by the Web site http://www.liveatc.net. Neither the controller nor the pilot shows any concern that anything is out of the ordinary as the airplane is asked to fly at 2,300 feet.

A minute later, the controller tries to contact the plane but hears no response. After a pause, he tries to contact the plane again.

Then the controller asks the pilot of a nearby Delta Air Lines plane to see whether he can see the Continental flight. The Delta pilot says no.

About three to four minutes after that, he tells an unidentified listener to contact authorities on the ground in the Clarence area.

"You need to find if anything is on the ground," the controller says. "All I can tell you is the aircraft is over the marker (landing beacon), and we're not talking to them now."

Later, he tells all aircraft monitoring the same frequency: "We did have a Dash 8 over the marker that didn't make the airport. He appears to be about five miles away from the airport."

While residents of his neighborhood about 10 miles from the Buffalo airport were used to planes rumbling overhead, witnesses said this one sounded louder than usual, sputtered and made some odd noises.

After hearing the crash, Dworak drove over to take a look, and "all we were seeing was 50 to 100 foot flames and a pile of rubble on the ground. It looked like the house just got destroyed the instant it got hit."

Witness Tony Tatro said he saw the plane flying low and knew it was in trouble.

"It was not spiraling at all. The left wing was a little low," he told WGRZ-TV.

Doug Hartmayer, a spokesman for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority that operates the airport, said it was unknown if the airport reported any trouble.

"There is an extensive investigation as we speak," Hartmayer said. "There was very little or any communication before the crash."

"The plane simply dropped off the radar screen," he said.

Amy Kudwa, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, said there was no indication terrorism was involved.

"All indications are that this was an air-safety event," she said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team of crash investigators, headed by Lorenda Ward, to Buffalo early Friday. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said the agency would join the NTSB investigation. The NTSB planned a 4 a.m. news conference in Clarence.

It was the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since Aug. 27, 2006, when 49 people were killed after a Comair jetliner took off from a Lexington, Ky., runway that was too short.

The newest member of Bombardier's Dash-8 class aircraft, the Q400 had its first flight in 1998 and entered commercial service in February 2000.

Houston-based Continental Airlines issued a statement saying that preliminary information showed the plane carried 44 passengers and a crew of four.

"At this time, the full resources of Colgan Air's accident response team are being mobilized and will be devoted to cooperating with all authorities responding to the accident and to contacting family members and providing assistance to them," the statement said.

Chris Kausner, believing his sister was on the plane, rushed to a hastily established command center after calling his vacationing mother in Florida to break the news.

"To tell you the truth, I heard my mother make a noise on the phone that I've never heard before. So not good, not good," he told reporters.

He told The Buffalo News his sister, Ellyce, was a law student at Florida Coastal University in Jacksonville and on her way home for a visit.

Clarence emergency control director Dave Bissonette said the crash killed one person on the ground.

Clarence is a growing eastern suburb of Buffalo, largely residential but with rural stretches. The crash site is a street of older, single-family homes which apparently back up to wooded area.

Manassas, Va.-based Colgan Air said in a statement that airline personnel and local authorities were working to confirm the number of people on board and their identities.

Twelve homes were evacuated near the crash site, about 10 miles from the airport. The tail or part of a wing was visible through flames and thick smoke that engulfed the scene. While the fire was contained, smoke still billowed over the scene about four hours later. Houses in the neighborhood are only about 20-25 feet apart.

"The fact that the damage is limited to the one residence is really amazing," said state police spokeswoman Rebecca Gibbons.

As family members of the victims trickled in to the airport in the overnight hours, they were escorted by airport personnel to a private area.

Two women believed to be residents of the neighborhood were being treated at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital for what were described as non-life threatening injuries, hospital spokesman Michael Hughes said. They were transported by ambulance at approximately 11:35 p.m.

The crash came less than a month after a US Airways pilot guided his crippled plane to a landing in the Hudson River off Manhattan, saving the lives of all 155 people aboard. Birds had apparently disabled both its engines.

On Dec. 20, a Continental Airlines plane veered off a runway and slid into a snowy field at the Denver airport, injuring 38 people.

Continental's release said relatives and friends of those on Flight 3407 who wanted to give or receive information about those on board could telephone a special family assistance number, 1-800-621-3263.

___

On the Net:

Audio of air traffic control: http://snurl.com/bsx2j

___

Associated Press writers Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, Linda Franklin in Dallas, Daniel Yee in Atlanta and Cristian Salazar and Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090213/ap_on_re_us/plane_into_home

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 04:58 AM

Updated: 02/13/09 04:43 AM
49 KILLED AS PLANE CRASHES INTO HOME IN CLARENCE CENTER
By Dale Anderson and Phil Fairbanks
News Staff Reporters

Forty-nine people died when a Continental Express airplane crashed into a house in Clarence Center shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday, setting off a huge fire that could be seen miles away.

The dead included 44 passengers, four crew members and a person on the ground.

A nurse at Erie County Medical Center said the hospital's second shift had been told to stay late to treat survivors but was sent home before midnight.

"There were no souls to bring in and treat," she said.

Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority spokesman C. Douglas Hartmayer said there was little communication between the plane, Flight 3407, and the tower before the crash. Crew members aboard the flight from Newark Airport had reported mechanical problems as they approached Buffalo.

The plane reportedly was a Bombardier Q400, a twin-engine turboprop with a passenger capacity of about 74.

"I was told by the tower the plane simply dropped off the radar screen," Hartmayer said.

Initial reports said the crash site was 6038 Long St., not far from the Clarence Center Fire Hall on Clarence Center Road. Police said one man was in the residence at the time of the crash.

About 12 other nearby homes were evacuated. Several of them sustained fire damage.

"We had a significant amount of fuel left in the aircraft, said Dave Bissonette, emergency co ordinator for the Town of Clarence. "It was a hazmat situation."

Chris Kausner of Clarence, whose sister Ellyce was aboard the flight, told The Buffalo News that after he heard about the crash, he called another sister who had gone to pick her up at the airport to see if her plane had landed.

"She said that they told them the plane had landed and was taxiing, but that was not the case," he said.

Kausner said Ellyce was a law student at Florida Coastal University in Jacksonville and was coming home to visit.

Family members of Flight 3407 passengers and crew are asked to contact Continental Airlines at 1-800-621-3263.

In Washington, the National Transportation Safety Board announced that it will be sending a team to Buffalo this morning to investigate the crash.

Lorenda Ward will serve as chief investigator. She has investigated several other plane crashes during her tenure at the agency -- including the fall 2007 crash in Manhattan that claimed the life of New York Yankees pitcher Corey Lidle.

Safety Board Commissioner Steven Chealander and public affairs officer Keith Holloway will accompany Ward to Buffalo. While the agency's investigations usually take months to complete, the agency said it would hold a news conference to discuss the accident in the Buffalo area today.

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/577959.html

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 05:03 AM

Updated: 02/13/09 03:15 AM
First fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the U.S. since 2006
News Staff

The crash of Flight 3407 on Thursday night was believed to be the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States in almost 2-1/2 years, since a Comair jetliner crashed Aug. 27, 2006, in Lexington, Ky. In a sad coincidence, 49 people were killed in that accident, the same number that lost their lives in Thursday night's crash. The 2006 crash in Kentucky involved a jet that took off from the wrong runway.

The Clarence Center crash Thursday night occurred just four weeks after a US Airways pilot ditched his plane into the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 people aboard.

Thursday's disaster wasn't the only local plane crash that resulted in multiple deaths, but you'd apparently have to go back to World War II to find such a tragedy. More than 66 years ago, in the fall of 1942, 14 workers at the Curtiss-Wright factory in Cheektowaga were killed when a fighter plane that had been built in the plant caught fire during a training run and crashed into the roof of the plant. The pilot had aimed the burning plane toward farmlands around Transit Road and bailed out. For some unknown reason, the plane turned and crashed into the building, spewing metal and burning fuel that killed 14 "Soldiers of Production." The date of that fatal 1942 crash: Sept. 11.

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/578063.html

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 05:07 AM

Beverly Eckert, widow of 9/11 victim, was aboard Flight 3407
By Sharon Linstedt and Dale Anderson
News Staff Reporters

The usually joyful meet-and-greet area of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport was a corridor of tears and sorrow early this morning as family and friends of those aboard Continental Express Flight 3407 filed in to get official word of their loved ones' fates.

For Sue Bourque, the wait for confirmation regarding her sister, Beverly Eckert, was all too familiar. Eckert is the widow of Sean Rooney, a Buffalo native who lost his life in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Eckert was traveling to Buffalo for a weekend celebration of what would have been her husband's 58th birthday. She also had planned to take part in presentation of a scholarship award at Canisius High School that she established in honor of her late husband. Bourque said that while the family had not yet received official confirmation of her sister's fate, the reality was settling in. "We know she was on that plane," Bourque said, "and now she's with him." Eckert, Rooney's high school sweetheart, continued to live in their home in Stamford, Conn., after the terrorists' attacks of 2001. As co-chairwoman of Voices of Sept. 11, she pushed for a formal commission to investigate intelligence failures and for a proper memorial to the victims. Family members and friends identified two other people believed to be on the plane as Ellyce Kausner, a graduate of Clarence High School and Canisius College who was studying law at Florida Coastal University in Jacksonville, and Maddy Loftus, a Buffalo State College graduate who lives in New Jersey. Friends said Loftus was heading here for a weekend reunion of Buffalo State women hockey players. One friend said she may have been flying with other young women heading here for the same reunion. "You never think this is going to happen to you," Kausner's aunt, Susan Leckey, also from Clarence, said at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. "It always happens to somebody else, and you see it on TV." Those waiting to pick up passengers from the ill-fated flight at the time of the crash were ushered to the USAirways Lounge, where airline employees answered general questions and offered consolation, beverages and snacks. A chaplain also was brought in to calm the distraught loved ones. But formal conformation was not expected to be given until later this morning, when Continental corporate officials could be flown to Buffalo. "We know they're dead. Why can't they just tell us or take us to ID them," said one grieving man who declined to give his name.

Passengers arriving for early morning flights also were subdued. "I really don't feel like getting on a plane right now," said Runda Ry, who had driven from Toronto to catch a flight to Atlanta.

slinstedt@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/578061.html

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 05:11 AM

Google map...don't know how to copy it,so here's the link.

http://www.wivb.com/generic/news/flight_3407_map

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 05:15 AM

Colgan Air responds to
Flight 3407 accident
News Release

Updated: Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 3:24 AM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 2:54 AM EST

MANASSAS, Va. (WIVB) - Continental Connection flight number 3407, operated by Colgan Air Inc., was involved in an accident at about 10:20 p.m. EST today while the aircraft, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, was operating between Newark Liberty International Airport and Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

The accident occurred in the vicinity of Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

Preliminary information indicates that the aircraft carried 44 passengers and a crew of four, although this is subject to confirmation.

At this time, the full resources of Colgan Air’s accident response team are being mobilized and will be devoted to cooperating with all authorities responding to the accident and to contacting family members and providing assistance to them.

Airline personnel and local authorities have already begun working to confirm the number of people on board and their identities.

Relatives and friends of those traveling on flight 3407 who want to give or receive information about those on board may telephone the family assistance number at 1-800-621-3263.

Colgan Air will continue to release additional information as it is confirmed.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/colgan_air_responds_to_flight_3407_accident_090212

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 05:20 AM

Statement from Governor
David A. Paterson
regarding crash of
Flight 3407
News Release

Updated: Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 3:52 AM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 3:18 AM EST

ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVB) - "Earlier tonight, Continental Airlines Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air Inc., crashed just miles outside of Buffalo Niagara International Airport after departing from Newark Liberty International Airport. The devastating crash took place at approximately 10:20 p.m.

"Forty-four passengers were killed along with four crew members and at least one person on the ground, according to New York State Police. A team of emergency responders and aviation officials are still evaluating the situation and working to gather as much information as possible. The aircraft involved was a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400.

"As we continue to monitor the situation in the Town of Clarence, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were on board, and with the people of the Buffalo metropolitan area. We will work closely with law enforcement and aviation officials to give families, loved ones and the public updated information as it becomes available.

"Families and loved ones seeking information should call Continental Airlines' emergency information number at (800) 621-3263."

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/statement_from_governor_david_a_paterson_regarding _crash_of_flight_3407_090213

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 05:26 AM

Continental Airlines Offers Support to Colgan Air in Providing Assistance to Families of Flight 3407 Passengers and Crew
Friday February 13, 2:18 am ET

HOUSTON, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL - News) this morning expressed its profound sadness concerning the accident involving flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air, that occurred Thursday night near Buffalo.

"Continental extends its deepest sympathy to the family members and loved ones of those involved in this accident," said Larry Kellner, chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines. "We are providing our full assistance to Colgan Air so that together we can provide as much support as possible for all concerned."

Continental representatives are traveling to Buffalo to provide assistance to Colgan in its response to the accident. A family assistance center is being established in the area.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the family members and loved ones of those involved in the flight 3407 tragedy," Kellner added.

Family members of flight 3407 passengers and crew should contact the airline at 1-800-621-3263.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/090213/laf038.html?.v=101

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 05:45 AM

Plane crashes into suburban Buffalo-area home; 49 killed

(CNN) -- A Continental Airlines plane crashed into a home near Buffalo, New York, late Thursday, killing 44 passengers and four crew members on board, according to New York State police.

Authorities said one person in the Clarence Center, New York, home was also killed. Two people in the home suffered minor injuries and were taken to a local hospital, authorities said.

Continental Connection Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air, was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo when it went down at around 10:20 p.m. The crash occurred about seven miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

Dave Bissonette, Clarence Center's natural disaster services coordinator, said it was "clearly a direct hit" on the house.

"The only recognizable piece of the plane left is the tail," Bissonette said.

CNN has listened to a tape of communications between air traffic control and the flight crew. The first officer had no sign of stress in her voice initially. The plane was cleared for approach. About two minutes later, the air traffic controller came back, with stress in his voice. Radar contact was lost.

The question went out: Can other planes see anything? No one responds. The controller says they might have a plane down. The pilot's last comment was "Colgan Flight 3407." There were no sounds of distress.

Authorities said the plane went down near a local fire hall, so firefighters were quick to respond to the accident scene.

Area resident Keith Burtis said he was driving to the store about a mile from the crash site when he heard the plane go down.

"It was a high-pitched sound," Burtis said. "It felt like a mini-earthquake."

Shortly after the crash, Burtis said he saw a steady stream of fire trucks rush by him as smoke billowed into the sky. Other witnesses told CNN they saw the plane nose-dive toward the ground.

According to the Buffalo News newspaper, one of the crash victims, Beverly Eckert, was the widow of 9/11 terror attack victim Sean Rooney, a Buffalo native. Eckert was traveling to Buffalo for a weekend celebration of what would have been her husband's 58th birthday.

She also had planned to take part in presentation of a scholarship award at Canisius High School that she established in honor of her late husband, the newspaper reported.

Her sister, Sue Bourque, said that while the family had not yet received official confirmation of her sister's fate, the reality was settling in. "We know she was on that plane," Bourque told the newspaper, "and now she's with him."

Twelve residents were evacuated from the area of the plane crash. Law enforcement officials are asking people not to go to the crash site in fear they may hinder the investigation.

"I felt the impact ... sounded like a large explosion," said Brendan Biddlecon, who told CNN he lives two blocks from where the plane crashed.

Biddlecon ran out his home and to within a couple hundred yards of the crash. The smoke was thick and acrid, and the heat was intense, he said.

"This is clearly a tragedy," said Dave Bissonette, the town's natural disaster services coordinator.

The Erie County Medical Examiner's Office established a command post at the scene and had investigators there, a statement from the office said. Officials said relatives of passengers aboard the flight should call 1-800-621-3263 for information.

A statement from the airline said: "At this time, the full resources of Colgan Air's accident response team are being mobilized and will be devoted to cooperating with all authorities responding to the accident and to contacting family members and providing assistance to them."

Continental Airlines confirmed that the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, a 74-seat turboprop, was operating between Newark Liberty International Airport and Buffalo.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) permanently grounded its fleet of Dash 8s after three crash landings during a two-month period in 2007 that were blamed on the aircraft's landing gear.

"Confidence in the Q400 has diminished considerably and our customers are becoming increasingly doubtful about flying in this type of aircraft," Mats Jansson, president and CEO of SAS, said at the time. "I have decided to immediately remove Dash 8 Q400 aircraft from service."

The National Transportation Safety Board said early Friday that was preparing a "go team" to head to Buffalo to investigate the crash.

According to the National Weather Service weather observation for Buffalo, there was light snow, fog and mist shortly before 10 p.m. Flight 3407 was originally scheduled to depart at 7:45 p.m., but it was delayed.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the crew, the passengers and our residents on Long Street," said Clarence Supervisor Scott Blylewski.

Thursday's incident is the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since August 2006 when Comair Flight 5191 crashed when it attempted to take off from the wrong runway.

Rep. Chris Lee, R-New York, issued a statement: "We are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic accident that occurred tonight in Clarence. Our focus right now is on supporting the first responders on the ground and their efforts to ensure the health and safety of people in the area.

"I will do my best to provide helpful information as we learn more. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families at this difficult hour."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/13/plane.crash.new.york/index.html

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 05:51 AM

At least 49 killed in plane crash near Buffalo
Commuter flight goes down in snow and fog, smashes into home in N.Y.

CLARENCE, New York - A commuter plane crashed into a suburban Buffalo home and erupted in flames late Thursday, killing all 48 people aboard and one person on the ground, authorities said. Witnesses heard the twin turboprop aircraft sputtering before it went down in light snow and fog.

Flames silhouetted the shattered home after Continental Connection Flight 3407 plummeted into it around 10:20 p.m.

It was the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since Aug. 27, 2006, when 49 people were killed after a Comair jetliner took off from a Lexington, Ky., runway that was too short.

"The whole sky was lit up orange," Bob Dworak, who lives less than a mile from the crash site, told The Associated Press. He said that residents of the neighborhood, about 10 miles from the Buffalo airport, were used to planes rumbling overhead, but he took note Thursday night when one sounded louder than usual and made some odd noises.

The 74-seat Q400 Bombardier aircraft was carrying 5,000 pounds of fuel and apparently exploded on impact, Erie County Executive Chris Collins said.

Firefighters got as close to the plane as they could, he said.

"They were shouting out to see if there were any survivors on the plane. Truly a very heroic effort, but there were no survivors," Collins said.

The aircraft, operated by Colgan Air, was flying from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in light snow, fog and 17 mph winds.

'There was a big bang'
"We were thinking it was just another plane," he said. "It kind of made some sputtering noises but they lower the landing gear over our house a lot so the noise from the planes a lot of time will change kind of drastically as they go over."

"All the sudden, there was a big bang, and the house shook," he said.

He drove over to take a look, and "all we were seeing was 50-to-100-foot flames and a pile of rubble on the ground. It looked like the house just got destroyed the instant it got hit," he said.

Amy Kudwa, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security in Washington said there was no indication terrorism was involved.

"All indications are that this was an air-safety event," she said.

Kudwa referred all other questions to the FAA.

Houston-based Continental Airlines issued a statement saying that preliminary information showed the plane carried 44 passengers and a crew of four.

"At this time, the full resources of Colgan Air's accident response team are being mobilized and will be devoted to cooperating with all authorities responding to the accident and to contacting family members and providing assistance to them," the statement said.

"Continental extends its deepest sympathy to the family members and loved ones of those involved in this accident," said Larry Kellner, chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines, in a later statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the family members and loved ones of those involved in the flight 3407 tragedy."

Continental representatives were traveling to Buffalo to provide assistance to Colgan in its response to the accident. A family assistance center is being established in the area.

Clarence emergency control director Dave Bissonette said the crash also killed one person on the ground.

A mother and daughter who live on the street where the plane crashed were being treated at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital for what were described as non-life-threatening injuries, hospital spokesman Michael Hughes said. Two volunteer firefighters also were being treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries.

Relatives' grief
Chris Kausner of Clarence, believing his sister was on the plane, rushed to a hastily established command center after calling his vacationing mother in Florida to break the news.

"To tell you the truth, I heard my mother make a noise on the phone that I've never heard before. So not good, not good," he told reporters.

He told The Buffalo News his sister, Ellyce, was a law student at Florida Coastal University in Jacksonville and on her way home for a visit.

Sue Bourque told The Buffalo News her sister, Beverly Eckert, was aboard the plane. Eckert is the widow of Sean Rooney, who was killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Bourque said that while the family had not yet received official confirmation of her sister's fate, the reality was settling in.

"We know she was on that plane," she told the newspaper, "and now she's with him."

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 05:52 AM

Aircraft dropped off radar screen
Doug Hartmayer, a spokesman for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority that operates the airport, said it was unknown if the airport reported any trouble.

"There is an extensive investigation as we speak," Hartmayer said. "There was very little or any communication before the crash."

"The plane simply dropped off the radar screen," he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board planned a 4 a.m. news conference in Clarence; Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said the agency would join a team investigating the scene at sunrise.

Witness Tony Tatro said he saw the plane flying low and knew it was in trouble.

"It was not spiraling at all. The left wing was a little low," he told WGRZ-TV.

Pilot's voice on recording
Before the crash, the voice of a female pilot on Flight 3407 can be heard communicating with air traffic controllers, according to a recording of the Buffalo air traffic control's radio messages shortly before the crash captured by the Web site www.liveatc.net.

Neither the controller nor the pilot exchanges any concerns that anything is out of the ordinary as the airplane is asked to fly at 2,300 feet.

A minute later, the controller tries to contact the plane but hears no response. After a pause, he tries to contact the plane again.

Then the controller asks the pilot of a nearby Delta Air Lines plane to see whether he can see the Continental flight. The Delta pilot says no.

About three to four minutes after that, he tells an unidentified listener to contact authorities on the ground in the Clarence area.

"You need to find if anything is on the ground," the controller says. "All I can tell you is the aircraft is over the marker (landing beacon), and we're not talking to them now."

Later, he tells all aircraft monitoring the same frequency: "We did have a Dash 8 over the marker that didn't make the airport. He appears to be about five miles away from the airport."

After the crash, at least two pilots are heard saying they have been picking up ice on their wings.

"We've been getting ice since 20 miles south of the airport," one says.

The newest member of Bombardier's Dash-8 class aircraft, the Q400 had its first flight in 1998 and entered commercial service in February 2000.

Clarence is a growing eastern suburb of Buffalo, largely residential but with rural stretches. The crash site is a street of older, single-family homes which apparently back up to wooded area.

Manassas, Va.-based Colgan Air said in a statement that airline personnel and local authorities were working to confirm the number of people on board and their identities.

Homes evacuated
Twelve homes were evacuated near the crash site, about 10 miles from the airport. The tail or part of a wing was visible through flames and thick smoke that engulfed the scene. While the fire was contained, smoke still billowed over the scene about four hours later. Houses in the neighborhood are only about 20-25 feet apart.

The house that was demolished was a two-story, wood-frame house that backed up to a large open field.

"The fact that the damage is limited to the one residence is really amazing," said state police spokeswoman Rebecca Gibbons.

As family members of the victims trickled in to the airport in the overnight hours, they were escorted by airport personnel to a private area.

'Surreal' scene
Collins, the Erie County executive, described the crash site as "surreal," with the tail of the plane sticking out of the ground.

The crash came less than a month after a US Airways pilot guided his crippled plane to a landing in the Hudson River off Manhattan, saving the lives of all 155 people aboard. Birds had apparently disabled both its engines.

On Dec. 20, a Continental Airlines plane veered off a runway and slid into a snowy field at the Denver airport, injuring 38 people.

Continental's release said relatives and friends of those on Flight 3407 who wanted to give or receive information about those on board could telephone a special family assistance number, 1-800-621-3263.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29173163/

f0revery0urs

02-13-2009, 08:26 AM

This is horrible. My prayers are with the families of the people on the flight.

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 01:45 PM

NTSB investigation on
hold
Scene still too hot

Updated: Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 6:49 AM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 6:43 AM EST

* Melissa Holmes
* Posted by Emma Orn

CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) - It's a tragedy that everyone is still trying to wrap their minds around. The crash scene is still so hot, officials still can't even begin to investigate what caused the plane to go down Thursday night.

Continental Express Flight 3407 from Newark, NJ, carryiIt's a tragedy that everyone is still trying to wrap their minds around. The crash scene is still so hot, officials still can't even begin to investigate what caused the plane to go down Thursday night.
ng 44 passengers and 4 crew members was only 5 miles from landing at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport at approximately 10:20 p.m., when suddenly it crashed into a home on Long Road in Clarence Center.

All 48 on board and one resident of 6038 Long Street perished in the tragedy. Two other residents escaped with minor injuries.

There is no information about what caused the plane to crash. News 4 obtained audio from airliners.net- the last conversation between the female pilot and air traffic control.

1 minute and 10 seconds after that conversation ended, Buffalo controllers tried to contact the pilot, no response. You can hear the sheer terror in the voices of witnesses in the cell phone video in attached video, when the Q-400 Bombadier aircraft operated by Colgan Air struck the home.

Officials declared it a limited state of emergency and mutual aid from fire departments, NFTA, state police and sheriff's deputies did all they could to control the scene.

Erie County Executive Chris Collins said, "We did evacuate approximately 12 homes and they pretty much went to neighbors houses, there's no one in any shelters."

Dave Bissonette, Clarence Emergency Coordinator said, "This is not a rescue effort. We're in the overhaul mode if you will."

This is the nation's deadliest crash since a Comair commuter jet crashed in Lexington Kentucky in August 2006.

Again, no one knows what caused the plane to crash, but crew members had not reported any mechanical problems as they approached the airport. NTSB officials are on their way to western New York to begin their investigation. It could be sometime before we have any answers.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Too_early_to_investigate_plane_crash_20090213

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 01:53 PM

Continental Connection Flight 3407 Crash, 50 Confirmed Dead
Story Published: Feb 13, 2009 at 9:46 AM EST
Story Updated: Feb 13, 2009 at 1:00 PM EST

1:00pm UPDATE

CLARENCE, N.Y.- Investigators are trying to determine what caused Continental Connection Flight 3407 to nose-dive into a suburban Buffalo house last night. But there are signs that weather might have been a factor. The commuter plane was heading for a landing when it went down in light snow and fog five miles short of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. There was no mayday call from the pilot before the crash. But afterward, at least two pilots reported they had been picking up ice on their wings. One former federal aviation official says the plane's nearly vertical drop suggests a sudden loss of control. William Voss, who's now president of the Flight Safety Foundation, says that suggests icing or a mechanical failure might have been the cause. Ice on the wings can alter aerodynamics and interfere with lift and handling.

12:40pm UPDATE

BUFFALO, N.Y.- The pilot of the plane that crashed near Buffalo had been with the airline for nearly 3½ years and had more than 3,000 hours of flying experience with the carrier. Capt. Marvin Renslow lived in a suburb of Tampa, Fla. Neighbors say he had two children in elementary school. The 47-year-old Renslow joined Pinnacle Airlines in September 2005. Pinnacle is the parent of Colgan Air, which was operating the plane as a Continental Connection flight. First Officer Rebecca Shaw joined the airline in January 2008. She had flown more than 2,000 hours with the carrier. Flight attendants were Matilda Quintero and Donna Prisco. An off-duty crew member was Capt. Joseph Zuffoletto.

11:45am UPDATE

A Pinnacle airlines official says the commuter plane that crashed near Buffalo, N.Y., was new and had a clean safety record, leaving investigators few immediate clues about why it suddenly plunged into a house minutes before its planned landing, killing 50 people. The aircraft crashed Thursday night about five miles from the runway, near the point where a pilot would begin setting the plane up for landing. Skies were foggy and winds were 17 mph, but there was no indication of anything out of the ordinary and no mayday call, according to a recording of air traffic control radio messages captured by the Web site LiveATC.net.

CANISIUS H.S. REMEMBERS BEVERLY ECKERT:

"Canisius High School is mourning the loss of those involved in the tragedy, including Ms. Beverly Eckert. Beverly was a friend and wonderful supporter or Canisius. She was the husband of Sean Rooney '69 who was a victim in the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Ms. Eckert was en route to Buffalo to celebrate the 58th birthday of her late husband as well as take part in the presentation of the Sean Rooney Memorial Scholarship at Canisius High School. “Beverly was a lovely woman who spent the last several years working hard to take the tragedy of Sean’s death and have something positive come from it,” John Knight, President of Canisius High School said. “She was committed to Canisius and the outstanding education her husband received. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family. She will be missed.” Established in 2002, the scholarship, in memory of Sean Rooney, was established by Ms. Eckert with the generous support of family, friends and classmates. The scholarship is awarded to a high achiever who demonstrates financial need. Sean was a graduate of the Catholic Academy of West Buffalo and a member of the Canisius High School Class of 1969. Whenever possible, the award is given to a Catholic Academy of West Buffalo student or West Buffalo resident. In a quote taken from a letter written by Beverly Eckert in 2006, she expressed her positive feelings about the award, “From the first wave of compassionate outpouring at the initial fund-raiser, to the joy of meeting each young scholarship recipient, my experience with Canisius, its staff and its alumni has been immeasurably rewarding. It has more than exceeded my expectations of finding some way to counteract the destructive intent of terrorism. Ms. Beverly Eckert championed her husband and has turned the tragedy that ended his life into a positive return for many fortunate young Canisius students. Gentlemen like Mr. Remy Uwilingiyimana '06, the first recipient of the award in 2002, have Ms. Eckert to thank for enabling them to earn a Jesuit education at Canisius High School. “I thank God for all the generous people who’ve helped me. My family and I will pray for Mr. Rooney and his family every day.” Her efforts have not been limited to the Sean Rooney Memorial Scholarship alone. Ms. Eckert along with classmates from the Canisius High School Class of 1969, were raising funds to name one of the laboratories in our brand new state-of-the-art Math and Science Wing in the memory of her late husband. The Canisius High School Community mourns the loss of those involved in the tragedy and we pray for the continued strength of their families.”

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 01:55 PM

11:05am UPDATE

FAA: Flight data, cockpit voice recorders found at crash scene.

10:50am UPDATE

WASHINGTON- President Barack Obama says the deadly plane crash in upstate New York reminds the nation of the fragility of life and the value of each day. Speaking at an event at the White House, Obama said Friday that his prayers are with families and friends who lost loved ones. A Continental commuter plane crashed into a house in suburban Buffalo on Thursday night, killing all 49 people aboard and a person in the home. One of the victims was Beverly Eckert, a Sept. 11 widow. She was just at the White House last week with Obama as part of a meeting he had with relatives of those killed in the 2001 attacks and the bombing of the USS Cole. Obama said Eckert was an inspiration to him and he hopes her family finds comfort in the days ahead.

10:35am UPDATE

STATEMENT FROM STATE SENATOR MIKE RANZENHOFER:

"On behalf of the citizens of the 61st District and the Town of Clarence, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families affected by the tragedy of Flight 3407. Our thoughts and prayers, as well as those of the entire State of New York, are with you at this most difficult time.
Our sincere thanks and gratitude go to our communities' first responders. It is times like these where our Western New York community comes together to help and console one another."

10:05am UPDATE

STATEMENT FROM CONGRESSWOMAN LOUISE SLAUGHTER:

"This tragedy is devastating for those of us who call Western New York home. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends who lost loved ones in this terrible accident last night. My heartfelt thanks go to the heroes who rushed to the scene first to do whatever they could to help. My office and I are ready and working to provide any assistance we can at this difficult time."

9:35am UPDATE

CLARENCE, N.Y.- A team of National Transportation Safety Board investigators at the scene of last night's commuter airplane crash outside Buffalo. The NTSB's Steven Chealander held a news conference this morning and said a total of 14 crash experts are taking part in the investigation into why Continental Connection Flight 3407 from Newark plunged into a single-family home in Clarence. All 49 people on board the turboprop plane were killed, along with one person in the house. Two other people inside the home -- a 57-year-old woman and her 22-year-old daughter -- made it out of the house. Chealander says there are still some hot spots at the crash seen caused by the intense fire that raged after the plane suddenly plunged to the ground just a few miles from the Buffalo airport. He says investigators will try and retrieve the aircraft's black boxes today and see what they reveal about the moments leading up to the crash.

9:05am UPDATE

BUFFALO, N.Y.- New York Gov. David Paterson plans to visit the area where a Continental airplane crashed into a house near Buffalo, killing all 49 people on board and one person in the home. The governor's office says he is expected to land in Buffalo about 9:45 a.m. Friday. A spokeswoman says details of what he will do once he arrives are being finalized.

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y.- Representatives from Continental Airlines are meeting with family and friends of the passengers of Flight 3407, the morning after all 49 people on board were killed when the commuter plane crashed into a house outside Buffalo. Victims' families arrived at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport throughout the night following the 10:20 p.m. crash and were taken by bus to a senior citizens center in nearby Cheektowaga. Airline representatives from Newark and Houston arrived at the center early Friday, where counselors also were on hand to speak with about 50 relatives and friends of the victims. Authorities are not releasing the names of the victims. One person on the ground also was killed.

8:50am UPDATE

STATEMENT FROM CONGRESSMAN BRIAN HIGGINS:

"Last night's catastrophic accident involving Continental Express Flight 3407 is devastating and will undoubtedly touch the lives of a significant number of Western New Yorkers. We are grateful for the selfless efforts of the first responders, many of whom are volunteer, who prevented further tragedy, working in the most dangerous of situations. We are deeply saddened for the loss felt by those close to the victims and will work closely with federal and local agencies to do all we can on their behalf."

STATEMENT FROM BUFFALO MAYOR BYRON BROWN:

"My wife Michelle and I are very saddened by the tragic crash that occurred last night just outside the City of Buffalo. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims of the crash.
My administration will do everything it can to assist in helping Erie County, other municipalities and agencies involved in the post-crash investigation."

8:05am UPDATE

CLARENCE. N.Y.- Airline now says 50 dead in fiery plane crash; 44 passengers, 4 crew, 1 off-duty pilot.

WASHINGTON- President Barack Obama has voiced condolences to the families of people lost in the crash of a commuter passenger jet in upstate New York. In a statement released by the White House Friday morning, Obama said that "Michelle and I are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic accident outside of Buffalo." Obama said that "our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones" on Continental Connection Flight 3407 Thursday night. He also said he wanted to thank the "brave first responders" who initially arrived on the scene, not far from the Buffalo airport, to try and save lives.

BUFFALO, N.Y.- Airline officials have identified the crew of Continental Connection Flight 3407 that crashed as it approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport, killing all 49 people on board. Pinnacle Airlines, the parent company of Colgan Air, which was operating the flight, says the pilot was Capt. Marvin Renslow, who joined the airline in September 2005 and had flown 3,379 hours with the carrier. The first officer was Rebecca Shaw, who joined Colgan last January and had flown 2,244 hours with Colgan. Flight attendants were Matilda Quintero and Donna Prisco, who both began flying with Colgan in May. Pinnacle says an off-duty crew member also was killed when the plane struck a home Thursday night. He was Capt. Joseph Zuffoletto. One person in the house died.

7:30am UPDATE

BREAKING NEWS: The death toll in the crash has now risen to 50. Eyewitness News has learned there were 49 people on board, not 48 as originally thought. One person was also killed on the ground.

WASHINGTON- Beverly Eckert, one of the victims of the Continental Flight 3407 crash near Buffalo, was a Sept. 11 widow and activist. Eckert, whose husband Sean Rooney died in the attack on the World Trade Center, was part of a small group of September 11 widows, mothers, and children who became amateur lobbyists, ultimately forcing lawmakers in 2004 to pass sweeping reforms of the U.S. intelligence apparatus. Another 9/11 activist says Eckert was flying to her hometown Thursday night when the plane crashed on approach to the Buffalo airport. She had planned to celebrate her late husband's 58th birthday.

7:00am UPDATE

NTSB officials are on their way to Buffalo right now from Washington, D.C. to investigate the crash. Officials with Continental Airlines just landed in Buffalo, they are here to help the families of the crash victims.

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 01:56 PM

6:35am UPDATE

Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital released the following information regarding Continental Flight #3407, which crashed late Thursday night in Clarence Center, New York:

Two females, ages 57 and 22, were treated for non-life threatening injuries and have been released. They confirmed to hospital officials that they live at 6038 Long Street in Clarence Center, where the plane reportedly crashed. The two, a mother and daughter, were transported by ambulance to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital at approximately 11:35 p.m.
Two volunteer firefighters from the crash scene are also being treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries. They are expected to be treated and released later Friday morning.
Less than seven miles away, Millard Fillmore Suburban is the closest hospital to the crash site on Long Street in Clarence Center.
Hospitals officials early Friday morning also confirmed they are on standby in the event fire officials or any other patients need further evaluation.

6:10am UPDATE

CLARENCE, N.Y.- Federal investigators have been sent to Buffalo to look into the crash of a commuter plane into a house. The crash killed all 48 people on board, and one person on the ground, in the nation's first fatal commercial airliner crash in 2 1/2 years. Two people on the ground who escaped with minor injuries are being treated at a hospital, along with two volunteer firefighters. The task of retrieving remains from the wreckage hasn't yet begun. An emergency control official in Clarence says, "It's still a hot scene." The plane was coming in for a landing through light snow and fog. Witnesses say they heard the plane's engines sputtering, before it struck the house in a fiery explosion. The FBI says there's no indication of any "security-related event." Continental Connection Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air, had been headed to Buffalo from Newark, N.J.

5:55am UPDATE

CLARENCE, N.Y.- Investigators are scrambling to the scene of last night's Continental commuter plane crash that killed 48 people onboard and another person on the ground. A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration says her crews and a team from the National Transportation Safety Board expect to be in Clarence Center, N.Y., by daylight. The 74-seat Q400 Bombardier aircraft, operated by Colgan Air, was flying from New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in light snow and fog. Colgan issued a statement saying it too was sending an accident response team and will try to assist the families of the victims.

5:30am UPDATE

STATEMENT FROM CONGRESSMAN CHRIS LEE:

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic accident that occurred last night in Clarence. Our focus right now is supporting the first responders on the ground, who have done heroic work in ensuring the health and safety of people in the area. My website is continually providing residents and concerned citizens with updated information, as well as the opportunity to leave messages for the families of the victims, first responders, and the members of the community.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families at this difficult hour.”

4:40am UPDATE

CLARENCE, N.Y.- A fire official says a commuter plane coming in for a landing at Buffalo Niagara International Airport "basically dove right into the top" of a house in a fiery explosion that killed all 48 people on board and one person on the ground. Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board were expected in Buffalo at 6 a.m. Friday to investigate the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407. The plane plummeted into a house about five miles from the airport around 10:20 p.m. Thursday. The airplane operated by Colgan Air was flying from Newark Liberty International Airport. Clarence emergency control director Dave Bissonette says it "dove" into the house, remarkably missing neighboring homes.

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 01:57 PM

4:30am UPDATE

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. – Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital released the following information regarding Continental Flight #3407, which crashed late Thursday night in Clarence Center, New York:
Emergency department officials at the hospital are treating two females, a mother and daughter who live at 6038 Long Street, where the plane reportedly crashed. They were transported by ambulance to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital at approximately 11:35 p.m., with non-life threatening injuries.
Two volunteer firefighters from the crash scene are being treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries.
Less than seven miles away, Millard Fillmore Suburban is the closest hospital to the crash site.
Hospitals officials early Friday morning also confirmed they are on standby in the event fire officials or any other patients need further evaluation. Millard Fillmore Suburban recently underwent a $64 million expansion, which includes a new, state of the art decontamination room.
For families looking for information regarding the flight or its passengers, they are asked to call the Continental Airlines hotline, 1-800-621-3263. The Town of Clarence number is 716-741-8930.

3:15am UPDATE

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR DAVID A. PATERSON:

"Earlier tonight, Continental Airlines Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air Inc., crashed just miles outside of Buffalo Niagara International Airport after departing from Newark Liberty International Airport. The devastating crash took place at approximately 10:20 p.m. "Forty-four passengers were killed along with four crew members and at least one person on the ground, according to New York State Police. A team of emergency responders and aviation officials are still evaluating the situation and working to gather as much information as possible. The aircraft involved was a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400. "As we continue to monitor the situation in the Town of Clarence, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were on board, and with the people of the Buffalo metropolitan area. We will work closely with law enforcement and aviation officials to give families, loved ones and the public updated information as it becomes available. "Families and loved ones seeking information should call Continental Airlines' emergency information number at (800) 621-3263."

3:00am UPDATE

CLARENCE, N.Y. (AP) - Smoke is continuing to billow from the site where a Continental Connection commuter plane plummeted into a suburban home. The fire has been contained, but 12 homes have evacuated near the crash site in Clarence. It's about 10 miles from the airport. Erie County Executive Chris Collins describes the scene as "surreal," with the tail of the plane sticking out of the ground. He says the aircraft was carrying 5,000 pounds of fuel and apparently exploded on impact. He said it hit only one home, which happened to be next to a firehouse, so rescuers arrived in seconds. A Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital spokesman says two women believed to be residents of the neighborhood are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

1:30am UPDATE

New York State Police confirm all 48 passengers and crew as well as one person on the ground died in the crash, bringing the death toll to at least 49 people.

1:05am UPDATE

New York state police say a 50-seat commuter plane has crashed into a home in Clarence Center. Fire officials say there were no survivors- the FAA says 48 passengers and crew were on the plane. State Trooper John Manthey says the plane hit a house in Clarence around 10:10 p.m. Thursday. Flames erupted from remnants of the house and aircraft as firefighters sought to control the blaze. Authorities say Continental Airlines Flight 3407 was operated by Manassas, VA based Colgan Air. It was en route from Newark, N.J. to Buffalo. The flight was originally scheduled to arrive in Buffalo around 8:45pm, but was delayed in Newark.

12:35am UPDATE

Eyewitness News crews are on the scene of a small plane crash reported at 6050 Long Street in Clarence Center, NY. The Continental Airlines Express flight from Newark crashed at approx 10:20pm. Officials say there are multiple fatalities from this incident. The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 operated by Manassas, Va.-based Colgan Air was operating between Newark Liberty International Airport and Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/39535247.html

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 01:58 PM

Springville man lucky to
be alive
Was supposed to be on Flight 3407

Updated: Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 9:17 AM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 7:42 AM EST

Written by Aga Dembinska Posted by Emma Orn

CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) - A Springville man was supposed to be on Continental flight 3407 but did not board the flight because of a delay with a connecting flight.

Dave of Springville and three of his business associates were all booked on flight 3407. Dave is a frequent flyer and says his flight out of New Orleans was delayed and caused them to miss their connection in Newark. He spoke to his wife over the phone to tell her he’s ok.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Springville_man_lucky_to_be_alive_20090213

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 02:00 PM

Flight 3407 crew members
names released
Statement from Colgan Air

Updated: Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 9:20 AM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 8:05 AM EST

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Information regarding Colgan Air Flight 3407

February 13, 2009

Continental Connection flight 3407, operating from Newark Liberty International Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, was involved in an accident outside Buffalo Niagara Airport. This flight was operated by Colgan Air, Inc.

Preliminary information indicates that the flight carried 44 passengers and a crew of four. There was also an off-duty Colgan Airlines crew member aboard, bringing the number of individuals to 49. All on board perished in the accident.

"We are greatly saddened by this accident" said Philip H. Trenary, President & CEO of Pinnacle Airlines Corp., parent company of Colgan Air, Inc. "Our prayers are extended to the family and loved ones of those aboard flight 3407 and those affected on the ground. Please know that we will commit all needed resources to assist the NTSB’s investigation of this accident and work to ensure that a tragedy such as this does not occur again."

Following are the names of crew members on flight 3407:

Captain Marvin Renslow joined Colgan on September 9, 2005. Captain Renslow had flown 3,379 hours with Colgan Air.

First Officer Rebecca Shaw joined Colgan on January 16, 2008. Ms. Shaw had flown 2,244 hours with Colgan Air.

Flight Attendant Matilda Quintero joined Colgan on May 28, 2008.

Flight Attendant Donna Prisco joined Colgan on May 28, 2008.

Captain Joseph Zuffoletto, an off-duty crew member aboard flight 3407, joined Colgan on September 19, 2005.

Flight 3407 was operated using a Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. This aircraft was manufactured on April 12, 2008 and was placed into service by Colgan that month.

We have established a toll-free number for families and friends of those on flight 3407. That number is 800-621-3263. We ask that only family members and friends call this number.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Flight_3407_crew_members_names_released_090213

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 02:01 PM

14 NTSB's on scene of
Flight 3407 crash
FBI need your help

Updated: Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 1:04 PM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 1:01 PM EST

* Luke Moretti
* Posted by Emma Orn

CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) - Emergency workers have been trying to sort out what happened while keeping everyone informed.

Watch attached video for Luke Moretti's story from the Command Center in Clarence, New York. If you have heard or seen anything, you are asked to contact the FBI. Their number is 856-7800.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/14_NTSBs_on_scene_of_Flight_3407_crash_20090213

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 02:55 PM

Fiery plane crash in upstate NY kills 50
By JOHN WAWROW, Associated Press Writer John Wawrow, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 6 mins ago

CLARENCE, N.Y. – A commuter plane dropped out of the sky without warning and nose-dived into a suburban Buffalo house in a fiery crash that killed all 49 people aboard and one person in the home. It was the nation's first deadly crash of a commercial airliner in 2 1/2 years.

The cause of the disaster was under investigation, but other pilots were overheard around the same time complaining of ice building up on their wings — a hazard that has caused major crashes in the past.

The twin turboprop aircraft — Continental Connection Flight 3407 from Newark, N.J. — was coming in for a landing when it went down in light snow and fog around 10:20 p.m. Thursday about five miles short of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

Witnesses heard the plane sputtering before it plunged squarely through the roof of the house, its tail section visible through flames shooting at least 50 feet high.

"The whole sky was lit up orange," said Bob Dworak, who lives less than a mile away. "All the sudden, there was a big bang, and the house shook."

Two others in the house escaped with minor injuries. The plane was carrying a four-member crew and an off-duty pilot. Among the 44 passengers killed was a woman whose husband died in the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Federal investigators found the black box recorders in the plane's tail that could shed light on what went wrong, but they said the smoldering debris was still too hot to remove bodies. The recorders were on their way to Washington for examination.

No mayday call came from the pilot before the crash, according to a recording of air traffic control's radio messages captured by the Web site LiveATC.net. Neither the controller nor the pilot showed concern that anything was out of the ordinary as the airplane was asked to fly at 2,300 feet.

A minute later, the controller tried to contact the plane but heard no response. After a pause, he tried to contact the plane again.

Eventually he told an unidentified listener to contact authorities on the ground in the Clarence area.

Erie County Emergency Coordinator David Bissonette said it appeared the plane "dove directly on top of the house."

"It was a direct hit," Bissonette said. "It's remarkable that it only took one house. As devastating as that is, it could have wiped out the entire neighborhood."

The 74-seat Q400 Bombardier aircraft, also known as the Dash 8, in Thursday's disaster was operated by Colgan Air, based in Manassas, Va. Colgan's parent company, Pinnacle Airlines of Memphis, Tenn., said the plane was new and had a clean safety record.

The nearly vertical drop of the plane suggests a sudden loss of control, said William Voss, a former official of the Federal Aviation Administration and current president of the Flight Safety Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group.

Voss suggested that icing or a mechanical failure, such as wing flaps deploying asymmetrically or the two engines putting out different thrust, might have caused the crash, he said.

After the crash, at least two pilots were heard on air traffic control messages saying they had been picking up ice on their wings. "We've been getting ice since 20 miles south of the airport," one said.

Ice on the wings of a plane can alter aerodynamics and interfere with lift and handling. The danger is well known among pilots.

In general, smaller planes like the Dash 8, which uses a system of pneumatic de-icing boots, are more susceptible to icing problems than larger commuter planes that use a system to warm the wings. The boots, a rubber membrane stretched over the surface, are filled with compressed air to crack any ice that builds up.

A similar turboprop jet crash 15 years ago in Indiana was caused by icing, and after that the NTSB issued icing recommendations to more aggressively use the plane's system of pneumatic de-icing boots. But the FAA hasn't adopted it. It remains part of the NTSB's most-wanted safety improvements list.

The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team of investigators to Buffalo. The Department of Homeland Security said there was no indication of terrorism.

While residents of the neighborhood were used to planes rumbling overhead, witnesses said it sounded louder than usual, sputtered and made odd noises.

David Luce said he and his wife were working on their computers when they heard the plane come in low. "It didn't sound normal," he said. "We heard it for a few seconds, then it stopped, then a couple of seconds later was this tremendous explosion."

Dworak drove to the site, and "all we were seeing was 50- to 100-foot flames and a pile of rubble on the ground. It looked like the house just got destroyed the instant it got hit."

One person in the home was killed, and two others inside, Karen Wielinski, 57, and her 22-year-old daughter, Jill, escaped with minor injuries.

The plane was carrying 5,000 pounds of fuel and apparently exploded on impact, Erie County Executive Chris Collins said.

It was the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since Aug. 27, 2006, when 49 people were killed after a Comair jetliner mistakenly took off from a Lexington, Ky., runway that was too short.

About 30 relatives and others who arrived at the Buffalo airport overnight were escorted into a private area and then taken by bus to a senior citizens center in the neighboring town of Cheektowaga, where counselors and representatives from Continental waited to help.

The 9/11 widow on board was identified as Beverly Eckert. She was heading to Buffalo for a celebration of what would have been her husband's 58th birthday, said Mary Fetchet, a 9/11 family activist.

Clarence is a growing eastern suburb of Buffalo, largely residential but with rural stretches. The crash site is on a street of older, single-family homes about 20 to 25 feet apart that back up to a wooded area.

The crash came less than a month after a US Airways pilot guided his crippled plane to a landing in the Hudson River in New York City, saving the lives of all 155 people aboard. Birds had apparently disabled both its engines.

On Dec. 20, a Continental Airlines plane veered off a runway and slid into a snowy field at the Denver airport, injuring 38 people.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, Linda Franklin in Dallas, Daniel Yee in Atlanta, Ron Powers in Washington, and Cristian Salazar and Jennifer Peltz in New York.

___

Continental said relatives and friends of those on Flight 3407 who want to give or receive information about those on board can call a special family assistance number, 1-800-621-3263.

___

On the Net:

Audio of air traffic control: http://sn.im/bt1z3

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090213/ap_on_bi_ge/plane_into_home

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 03:01 PM

Two Mangione band members among crash victims

Two members of Chuck Mangione's band, Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett, were among the passengers killed on Flight 3407, Publicist Sanford Brokaw said today.

They were en route to Buffalo for tonight's performance with the Buffalo Philharmonic, which has been postponed.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Mangione said: "I'm in shock over the horrible, heartbreaking tragedy."

BPO spokesman Mike Lazzaro said a new date for the concert would be announced at a later date.

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/578570.html

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 03:04 PM

Similar planes suffered landing gear problems in 2007
By Phil Fairbanks
News Staff Reporter

Built in nearby Toronto, the type of twin-engine commuter plane that crashed in Clarence Center Thursday night killing 50 people has been in the headlines before.

The plane — a Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 turboprop — attracted attention in 2007 when three separate accidents were linked to the aircraft's landing gear problems.

The accidents prompted Scandinavian Airlines, one of its biggest customers, to permanently ground its Bombardier Q400 turboprops.

"Confidence in the Q400 has diminished considerably and our customers are becoming increasingly doubtful about flying in this type of aircraft," Scandanavian Airline Chief Executive Mats Jansson said at the time.

The company grounded the planes, which tend to be used for shorter flights, after the landing gear on one of its Q400s collapsed as the plane touched down in Denmark and caught fire.

Five of the 73 passengers aboard were injured.

A few days later, another Scandinavian Q400 crashed when its right-side landing gear collapsed while landing in Lithuania. No one was hurt in that accident.

And a few weeks after that accident, an Italy-bound Q400 came to rest on its nose while landing in Munich. The front wheels had failed to deploy. Again, no one was seriously injured.

Both Bombadier and the Goodrich Corp., the U.S. company that made the landing gear, rejected claims that the three accidents were indicative of a larger problem with its aircraft.

"Bombadier and Goodrich have completed a full review of the Q400 landing gear systems and the results have confirmed its safe design and operational integrity," company spokesman John R. Arnone said in a statement.

Colgan Air, owner of the plane that crashed and a feeder airline for Continental, uses 15 Q400s, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

Records also indicate the plane that crashed was about a year old.

Federal investigators already are at the accident scene as part of their search for a cause to the deadliest U.S. air tragedy in more than two years.

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/578490.html

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 03:06 PM

After the crash, tower warned other planes to watch for icing
By Phil Fairbanks
News Staff Reporter

Just minutes after Continental Connection Flight 3407 crashed, air traffic controllers began quizzing other pilots about the icy conditions over Buffalo.

A recording of those conversations Thursday night suggests ice may be one of the suspected causes of the nation's deadliest air crash in more than two years.

"Delta 1998, you getting any icing where you're at?" a Buffalo air traffic controller asked just minutes after Continental's 74-seat aircraft went down, killing 49 people.

"We picked it up on the way down," the pilot reponds. "I don't think it's building any more here but about 6,500 (feet) down to 3,500 (feet) maybe."

Over the next several minutes later, several other pilots chime in.

"We're picking up rime ice here," one pilot tells the tower at Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

"We've been picking up rime ice for the last 10 minutes or so," adds another pilot heading into Buffalo.

The tape — released by the Web site www.liveatc.net — clearly indicates when pilots became aware of the crash of the Q400 Bombardier flying from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

At the time, conditions at the airport in Cheektowaga included light snow, fog and 17 mph winds.

"It doesn't appear to be building," one pilot answers when asked about the ice. "We've got about a half inch, about a quarter inch of ice from the descent."

Again, there's a long pause before the air traffic controller confirms for pilots that the Continental plane has crashed.

"We did have a Dash 8 over the marker that didn't make the airport," he tells the pilots. "He appears to be about 5 miles away from the airport."

Prior to the crash, the voice of a female pilot on Flight 3407 can be heard communicating with air traffic controllers, and neither the pilot nor the controller sounds upset.

Shortly after the pilot is asked to fly at 2,300 feet, the controller tries to contact the plane again.

"Colgan 3407 approach?" the tower asks.

When the pilot fails to respond, the controller tries again.

"Colgan 3407 Buffalo?" the controller asks.

Again, no response.

"Colgan 3407," she says a third time.

Still, no response.

At that point, another controller asks the pilot of a nearby Delta Air Lines plane if he can see the Continental plane.

"Delta 1998, look off your right side about 5 miles for a Dash 8. Should be about 2,300 (feet). Do you see anything there?" the tower asks.

"Uh, negative," the Delta pilot answers.

Several minutes pass before the tower makes one final plea: "Colgan 3407, how do you hear?"

Again, no answer.

At that point, the tower suggests that local police be asked to search the area where the plane went down.

"We need to find out if anything is on the ground," the controller says. "The aircraft was five miles out and all of sudden there's no response from the aircraft."

pfairbanks@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/578112.html

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 03:08 PM

Sabres players, Ruff shaken by tragedy
By Mike Harrington
News Sports Reporter

Among the eyewitnesses to the crash of Continental Flight 3407 were several members of the Buffalo Sabres, who reported for their morning skate today in HSBC Arena still shaken by what they saw and heard Thursday night in their suburban neighborhood.

The Sabres meet the San Jose Sharks, the top team in the National Hockey League, tonight at 7:30 and the game will be played as scheduled. Several members of the team live in Clarence Center and the nearby Spaulding Lake subdivision in Clarence.

"I heard the plane coming," defenseman Teppo Numminen said. "I was in my bed and I heard it and thought it sounded really weird, really close to us. Then I heard a little poof afterwards and I was thinking, "That doesn't sound good, doesn't sound right.' So I looked out of my window and I saw the red sky and I knew something was wrong."

"I heard the fire trucks and amublances coming and I remembered that it was pretty bad weather when I was driving home for dinner," added defenseman Jaroslav Spacek. "I thought maybe it was some car accident or something happened but I turned the news on and I saw the plane crash and I was like, "Wow.' I looked at the window and saw the flames. It was scary.

"You saw the smoke and they were talking about a small plane and then you hear 50-80 people might be on it and you're thinking, "Wow, that's not a small plane at all.'‚" Spacek and defenseman Toni Lydman both said they got frantic text messages from relatives in the Czech Republic and Finland to make sure they were OK.

"My wife's sister was texting us," Lydman said. "She's been to our place, so she knows how small Clarence Center actually is. They were worried. It was really too close, you know."

"We talked to each other in the neighborhood to make sure everybody was OK," Spacek said. "It's a big tragedy for everybody. You think about how big the country is and something happens like that 800 yards from your home. You've got to think about it. Everything stops. It's not about hockey. It's about the lives and about the people here in Buffalo first."

Backup goaltender Patrick Lalime said his brother-in-law was visiting his home less than a mile from the scene and saw the plane on its descent.

"He just ran inside and he was scared because it was coming down," Lalime said. "We thought something would happen and a couple seconds later we saw a big ball of fire not even a mile down the road. .‚.‚. As we went back outside we saw fire everywhere and we called 911 to make sure. They already knew what happened."

Speaking in a voice choked with emotion, a red-eyed coach Lindy Ruff said he addressed the team before its morning workout about keeping the game in perspective.

"It's an incredibly sad day for our city and we've talked about it that this is going to reach and touch a lot of people," said Ruff, who lives a couple of miles from the site in Clarence. "You've got to get through it. It's an area where a lot of us live. Everybody is going to know somebody that's touched by this. It's a tough day for Buffalo. First and foremost, it's all about the families of the people that were lost and all our feelings go out to them first. When it comes to something like this, it's a tremendous tragedy."

Ruff did not hear the plane but said he heard the sirens of first responders racing to the scene.

"I heard the sirens and watched [TV] till 1:30 in the morning," Ruff said. "It was incredible, surreal at times. You think maybe it's just something small [and then] ending up as big as it was. This is bigger than sports, it's a lot bigger. [Tonight's game] is way on the back burner right now. I know we have to play a game but something this big touches way too many people."

Several players said they had to address the situation with their children because all of the schools in the Clarence area were closed today.

"You're thinking about a lot of the guys. They live in that area where it happened and they were very, very close to it," said captain Craig Rivet, who lives in Clarence but was not aware of the incident until he awoke this morning. "You just don't know what to say or think. It's just very tragic. There's a lot of people right now that are shaken up. It's something you never really think will happen to you or to your community."

"It's like a bad dream," Lalime said. "You see all the cops still there. The street is still shut down. You just have a lot of thoughts for the families."

mharrington@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/578662.html

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 03:13 PM

Prominent Buffalo-area residents among 50 killed in fiery plane crash
By Charity Vogel, Phil Fairbanks and Brian Meyer
News Staff Reporters

Prominent Western New York residents, including a noted author and human rights activist, a temple cantor and the husband of a Roswell Park doctor are among the 50 people who died in Thursday night when a Continental airplane crashed into a home on Long Street in Clarence Center, killing everyone on board plus one man on the ground.

Names of the dead began trickling out at midday, giving a window onto the group of passengers aboard the flight from Newark to Buffalo that crashed at about 10:15 p.m.

The names of victims emerging from families and friends included Alison DeForges, a noted historian and human rights activist who documented the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Also killed in the crash was Susan Wehle, cantor at Temple Beth Am in Amherst, and Zhaofang Guo, the husband of Dr. Ping Wang at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

As the victim list began to grow, a fact of the tragic plane crash became apparent: like Buffalo itself, the group of people killed in the incident ranged from the obscure to the famous, and included parents, spouses, and employees returning from a business trip.

"It's not fair to have another loved one [killed] in that kind of fashion. It's pretty shocking," said Cynthia Blest, sister-in-law to one of the prominent victims, Beverly Eckert, widow of a Buffalo native killed on 9/11.

"Unfortunately, there was a town resident in one home that perished, and two people escaped from that home with minor injuries," County Executive Chris Collins said. The man has been identified as Douglas C. Wielinski, 61. His wife, Karen Wielinski, 57, and their daughter, Jill, 22, escaped and were taken to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, where Kaleida Health officials said they were in stable condition in the emergency room.

"They confirmed they were in the house when the plane hit," Kaleida communications chief Michael P. Hughes said.

Meanwhile, federal investigators continued their work on the crash site.

Both flight data recorders, or "black boxes," were recovered from the site by early afternoon, officials with the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed.

That was a spot of good news in a day marked by difficult conditions and a stunned, community-wide sense of disbelief.

Victims' bodies also will begin to be recovered from the site, with the aid of a medical examiner, said Steve Chealander, a National Transportation Safety Board member who arrived in the area early today to inspect the scene.

The dead include 49 passengers who were on board the plane and one man who was inside the home when the aircraft hit. They include "many" Buffalo-area residents, officials said.

Conditions at the scene will complicate the recovery effort, officials said.

"It's still very hot," said Chealander. "It was a major fire and explosion. There's a lot of carnage there."

The Continental Connection flight, No. 3407, had been headed into Buffalo from Newark when it suddenly fell from the sky and dived into a single-family house.

Onlookers -- and authorities -- were amazed that more homes were not destroyed.

"It's in that yard, basically," said Chealander. "It was a very compact area."

Eyewitnesses said the plane sounded odd before it crashed and seemed to strike directly into the home on Long Street.

"It was a bad, bad impact. It was hot, and the explosion was massive," said Clarence resident Tony Tatro, who was driving nearby at the time of the crash. "I couldn't see anyone surviving it."

The sickly glow from the burning wreckage could be seen for miles.

Names of the passengers on the plane were not being released immediately by the airline.

The 50 dead included four on-duty crew members on the Continental plane, one off-duty crew member, as well as 44 people traveling toward Buffalo on business and pleasure trips.

Among the crash victims was Beverly Eckert, the widow of Sean Rooney, who was killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Eckert was traveling to Buffalo for a family celebration of what would have been her husband's 58th birthday.

Family members and friends identified two people believed to be on the plane as Ellyce Kausner, a graduate of Clarence High School and Canisius College, and Maddy Loftus, a Buffalo State College graduate who lives in New Jersey.

The crew members were identified as Capt. Marvin Renslow, pilot of the plane; Rebecca Shaw, first officer of the flight; and flight attendants Matilda Quintero and Donna Prisco.

Another employee of the airline, Capt. Joseph Zuffoletto, a Jamestown resident who was off-duty at the time, was also killed.

Sources at Northrop Grumman Amherst Systems, a defense contractor on Wehrle Drive in Williamsville, have confirmed four of its employees were aboard the Continental Connection flight No. 3407 that crashed in Clarence last night. All four were returning home from a business trip for the company.

Names of the four victims have not yet been released.

The fiery crash -- which stunned onlookers by its intensity and heat -- is the deadliest U.S. airline crash since November 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587, taking off from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, crashed into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens, killing all 260 people aboard the plane and five people on the ground.

Gov. David A. Paterson arrived in Buffalo at about 10:30 a.m., and made his way to the Erie County Emergency Operations Center in Cheektowaga, which earlier in the day had been turned into the base of operations for emergency personnel.

Paterson, wearing a jacket with a New York State Police logo and a grim expression, met with FBI and NTSB officials at the center. He left without making any statements to reporters.

Paterson's next stop was the Cheektowaga Senior Center, where he went to meet with family members of the victims.

The Rev. Angel L. Gauthier, of Prince of Peace Christian Church in Buffalo, was inside the Cheektowaga Senior Citizens Center, where he found what appeared to be more than 100 family and friends of people who perished in the plane crash.

"Walking in there was like being in the valley of suffering," said Gauthier, who is also a chaplain with the Buffalo police and fire departments. "I was sharing a thought with a family member who lost a grandson and he couldn't stop weeping. All I did was hug him and cry with him."

"I tell you," Gauthier said, "It's going to be a day of mourning for all of us in Western New York, and all over the nation."

Jaimeelynn Trujillo, a Clarence resident who lives directly behind the crash site and was evacuated by police in the moments after the crash, saw the immediate impact of the plane's hit first-hand and called it "horrifying."

She was also one of the few to see at least one of the occupants of the Long Street house -- the site where the plane crashed -- fleeing to safety.

Trujillo said she was watching the house and saw one of the two women inside the home run outdoors, in a state of panic.

"I saw her start saying, "It's my house, it's my house, it's my house.' And then she fell to the ground," Trujillo said.

Family members and close friends who were at the airport or arrived from out of town were taken to the Cheektowaga Senior Citizen Center early this morning.

"We're trying to do everything we can for these people," Cheektowaga Police Capt. John Glascott said. "Right now they're grieving."

Friends said Loftus was heading here for a weekend reunion of Buffalo State women hockey players. One friend said she may have been flying with other young women heading here for the same reunion.

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 03:18 PM

"You never think this is going to happen to you," Kausner's aunt, Susan Leckey, also from Clarence, said at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. "It always happens to somebody else, and you see it on TV."

Kausner's family lives roughly a quarter-mile from the crash site.

There was little communication between the plane and the tower before the crash, according to Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority spokesman C. Douglas Hartmayer. Crew members aboard the flight from Newark Airport had not reported mechanical problems as they approached Buffalo.

"I was told by the tower the plane simply dropped off the radar screen," Hartmayer said.

The crash occurred at 6038 Long St., not far from the Clarence Center Fire Hall on Clarence Center Road. Three people were in the home at the time of the crash -- including one man who was killed.

About 12 other nearby homes were evacuated. Several sustained fire damage, and witnesses reported that the acrid smell of burning fuel permeated the crash scene.

"We had a significant amount of fuel left in the aircraft," said Dave Bissonette, emergency coordinator for the Town of Clarence. "It was a hazmat situation."

Two volunteer firefighters also were treated at Millard Fillmore Suburban, with injuries not believed to be serious.

"The site right now is too hot for anyone to start the investigation," Collins, the county executive, said during a 4 a.m. news conference.

At 3:15 a.m., the wreckage continued to smolder. Several parts of the site were burning hot and dangerous.

Goodrich Road resident Tatro, 35, was driving east on nearby Clarence Center Road just before the crash. He saw the plane, just above him, heading north, which seemed to be in the opposite direction it should have been heading.

"It was [flying] nose down, hardly above the treetops, and its left wing was tilted slightly down," Tatro said. "I did not see any landing gear. I saw the underbelly of the plane fairly well. There was nothing burning on the plane and no physical damage. Nothing seemed wrong, except it was on a bad path."

The sound of the plane was labored and unusually loud just before the crash, some witnesses said.

Tatro didn't see the crash, but he had no trouble hearing it, even with his car windows closed.

He immediately feared the worst -- that no one would survive such a deep impact and fiery inferno.

"No chance," Tatro replied.

Beverly Eckert, the widow of Sean Rooney, a Buffalo native who had been killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, had been headed to Buffalo for a weekend that was to include a commemoration of her late husband's 58th birthday.

The weekend was also to include awarding of the Sean Rooney Scholarship at Canisius High School.

Chris Kausner, of Clarence, whose sister Ellyce was aboard the flight, said that after he heard about the crash, he called another sister who had gone to pick her up at the airport to see if her plane had landed.

"She said that they told them the plane had landed and was taxiing, but that was not the case," he said.

Kausner said Ellyce was a law student at Florida Coastal University in Jacksonville and was coming home to visit.

The dead included five crew members of Pinnacle Airlines, the parent company of Colgan Air, which was operating the flight.

Pilot of the flight was Capt. Renslow, who joined the airline in September 2005 and had flown 3,379 hours with the carrier. First officer on the flight was Rebecca Shaw, who joined Colgan last January and had flown 2,244 hours with Colgan.

Flight attendants were Matilda Quintero and Donna Prisco, who both began flying with Colgan in May. The off-duty crew member killed in the crash, Jamestown resident Capt. Joseph Zuffoletto, was a fifth employee of the airline on board the flight.

A nurse at Erie County Medical Center said the hospital's second shift had been ordered to stay late, in order to treat survivors. They were finally sent home, at midnight, when the bodies didn't come in.

Heading up the NTSB's investigation in Buffalo, officials said, will be Lorenda Ward. Ward has investigated several other plane crashes during her tenure at the agency, including the crash in the fall of 2007 that claimed the life of New York Yankees pitcher Corey Lidle.

Two planeloads of NTSB investigators touched down in Buffalo early today, for a total of 14 federal officials on the ground to work on the site.

Chealander, who is one of the national board's five members, also arrived on the scene and described the work ahead as a process of retrieving "perishable evidence" from the disaster area.

Federal investigators will be interviewing local people who witnessed or heard the crash, Chealander said. "We're just trying to gather facts, we're trying to get witness accounts," he said.

Officials were being tight-fisted with the plane's passenger manifest.

Local authorities had received a copy of the manifest of passengers aboard the ill-fated flight early today, but that list has not been released. Officials said that it would not be made public until all families of the victims were notified.

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 03:21 PM

Clarence resident Kathleen Dworak lives about a quarter mile from the crash scene. Her home is beneath an airplane flight path, so she said she's accustomed to hearing planes all the time. But the noise she heard Thursday night was quite different.

"It sounded like an airplane sputtering. It was a totally different sound," she said.

A short time later, she went outside and saw nearby trees lit up.

"There were flames 50 to 100 feet high. It was just a massive ball of fire. And you couldn't even tell there was a plane on the ground," she said.

Dworak added that it's amazing the plane didn't do damage to more homes. Emergency services officials say the one home at 6038 Long St. was destroyed, and only one other nearby home sustained some damage.

David Luce, who lives with his wife Mary Jane about 150 yards from the crash scene on Goodrich Road, said he wasn't surprised to learn that there were so many deaths.

"I can't imagine that anyone survived it," he said. "If you heard that explosion, and you saw how fast the whole area was on fire, it was pretty clear that it was jet fuel burning.

"I would guess that everything disintegrated on impact," he added.

Just before the crash, Luce heard the plane and noticed that it sounded a little funny.

"It sounded quite loud, and then the sound stopped," Luce said. "Then one or two seconds later, there was a thunderous explosion. I thought something hit our house. It shook our whole house."

"There was the initial boom, and then these cannon shots -- these loud secondary explosions, and they went on for about 10 minutes."

Within 5 to 10 seconds, Luce said, he saw flames 40 or 50 feet high.

One or two minutes after the crash, Luce had walked to a spot that gave him a clearer view of the scene. "The house was already flattened. There was no house, just a pile of rubble and still burning."

His wife Mary Jane Luce said, "There was just a big ball of fire." She said that after she realized how terrible the crash was, her thoughts flew to the families and friends of the victims.

According to the Luces, their tenant saw the plane coming down at a strange angle. The tenants went to call 911, but by that time the crash had already occurred.

David Luce said he heard screams following the crash, but he doesn't know whether they came from injured people or from neighbors.

Almost two hours after the crash, Luce said he still saw flames shooting from the crash site, but they were not as high as before.

Buffalo News Staff Photographer Harry Scull Jr., who lives in Clarence, said he heard a fire alarm at 10:20 p.m.

"Thirty seconds later, the phone rang, and I knew it was something big," he said. "It was my neighbor. He said a plane hit a house, look out your window. I'm two miles from there, and it was a ball of fire."

Scull said he went to Long Street to take pictures and found a chaotic scene as firefighters attempted to run hoses to fight the flames.

Scull noted that after dark, he has noticed that incoming flights pass lower overhead.

"It scares you, they come in so low," Scull said. "You can smell the jet fuel burning. I knew it was just a matter of time."

citydesk@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/577959.html

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 03:48 PM

Facebook Groups forms to Support Victims' Families
Posted By: Admin Staff Posted By: Matt Granite

CLARENCE CENTER, NY -- Only hours after a fiery crash claimed the lives for 49 people, a support group for victims' families was created on the popular social networking site, Facebook.

There is currently a Facebook page that provides basic information about the crash. It also provides links to websites and phone number for victim's families.

As of 2:30pm Friday, there are more than 4,000 members.

The group was formed after a Continental Express airplane crashed into a residential neighborhood Thursday night, killing all 48 people on board and one person on the ground.

Hotlines have also been established to provide information and support for those effected by the crash.

Concerned family members should call Continental Airlines at 1-800-621-3263.

Residents in Clarence should call (716) 741-8930.

People living in Clarence who are unable to get to their homes or who have been evacuated should call the Clarence Senior Center at 633-5138.

The Cheektowaga Senior Center has also opened its doors for family members of the victims, offering grief counceling. If you have any questions call the Senior Center at 686-3930.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=64158&catid=298

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 03:53 PM

World Offers Condolences to Crash Victims
Posted By: Admin Staff

CLARENCE CENTER, NY -- People from all over the World have e-mailed 2 On Your Side to express their condolences to the families of victims of the crash of Continental flight 3407.

Here's what some folks have said in their e-mails:

As I sit here crying, I'm not sure what words I can possibly offer other than expressing my profound sadness at this heartbreaking tragedy. I wish to offer my heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of all the victims. God bless everyone of them. I'd also like to add that my hat is off to the wonderful firefighters, and police for their heroic efforts. Lastly I want to commend all our local media for being able to share the news, while being able to stay composed in reporting such a sad story.

- Suzanne Ellis

This is so sad, I have been watching this since about an hour after it happened, just taking catnaps through the morning. God bless these poor souls and their families. I pray they didn't suffer and didn't even know what hit them.

- Jessica High

My heart just aches for the victims and their families of this horrific event; I cannot express how sad I am. I will continue to pray for comfort and peace for everyone impacted. Please know you are not alone and the whole world is grieving with you.

- Leslie Bernad

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families. I was scheduled to be on flight 3407 and changed it at the airport upon arrival. I am going through a range of emotions today and I keep thinking how lucky I was. I can't stop thinking about those whose lives were lost.

- Michael Barker

My heart goes out to those who were affected by the plane crash of flight 3407. I live in Newstead/Akron, about 5 miles from the scene and I can't even begin to imagine the tragedy that happened last night.

- Michele Roth

I wish there were some words of comfort I could share with the families of those lost that would help heal their hearts. Please know that those you lost are in the arms of a good & gracious God who will not forsake them.

- Mike Hegarty

I'll second James' comment of thanks. I still have a lot of family and friends in WNY, some living in Clarence Center. It is extremely hard to see this happen in my hometown

Judy Bisci in Las Vegas, NV

I send my sympathy to the victims of the Plane Crash and those who died. I lived in South Wales for 4 years as a student at The Gow School. I send my sympathy to the familes of those who died especially, but also those who lost their house.

- Michael in Virginia

I send deep, heartfelt sympathy to the families and friends of the victims of this tragedy. I am proud to be part of such a caring community who consistently shows such heart when our neighbors go through terrrible times. Thank you to all of you sending messages and being active in helping our "family".

- Betsy Eberle

I am watching from Rock Hill SC in my office and have flow home many times over that flight path. Thanks for being strong for WNY.

- Richard Musialowski in South Carolina

I grew up in Cheektowaga, very near the airport. I now live in California, but upon hearing the terrible news, my heart immediately went to the people of Western New York. I am proud to be from this area of "good neighbors" and I know how the community will pull together to help all those involved. Please know that although I no longer live there, I am one of you and I feel your pain and loss.

- Linda Guhlow in California

Although I didn't know anyone personally involved in the crash, my heart still goes out to the victims and their families. Tragedies like these remind us that life and family and friends are not to be taken for granted. Life is too short and is out of our control at every single moment in time.

- Kara Kelly of Ft. Lauderdale, FL

I'm immensely sad for the 50 people who died in last night's plane crash, their families and friends and my beloved hometown. I am constantly praying for and thinking of you all -- including the fearless first responders. Thank you for your live Web coverage. It makes me feel a great deal more connected.

- Lauren D'Avolio in Dallas, TX

I pretty much travel to Buffalo every weekend and i just wanted to say my thoughts and prayers to the families and friend of everyone that was killed.

- Al in Canada

My heart goes out to all of Western New York and Clarence County. The loss that is felt locally has trancended nationwide. May God give you peace and comfort even in this time of tragedy.

- Bill in San Diego, CA

All of WNY embraces those families and friends affected by this tradegy. We all are carrying a heavy heart for you. We pray that peace finds you and gives you much love and comfort in the days to come.

- Heather Beck in Lancaster, NY

I was born & raised in Cheektowaga & now reside in Phoenix Arizona. I still have many family & friends still there. Thanks for your live broadcast on the web. Only people from Western NY know how small of a community it really is & how Western New Yorkers do reach out to our fellow neighbors in adversity. You are all in our thoughts & prayers.

- Linda Barone in Phoenix, AZ

I would like to let the families of the plane crash know they are in my thoughts and prayers. and that all the people involived in helping that they are doing a great job and they are also in my thoughts and prayers also . may god be with everyone involived. it doesnt seem possibly that some thing like this can happen her and so close. everyone just give your loved ones a kiss and hug and tell them how much you love them.

- Karen

I'm A Stay at home Mom and been watching the news all day and crying..Our Prayers and thoughts go out to The Families and Friends of the Victims on Flight 3407.

- Cindy Smith

I would like to send my prayers to the families and victims of this tragedy. May the Lord hold you and keep you in the difficult hours and days ahead. Please know you do not mourn alone and my heart sincerely breaks for each and every one of you. God Bless.

- Patricia McGilvray and Family of Lackawanna, NY

With our sincere Sympathy to all those affective by this tragedy. Our hearts, thoughts & prayers are with each of you through this most difficult time. God Bless All of You.

- The Farr Family of Buffalo, NY

Coventry, United Kingdom, is praying for the families of those who have passed away. I wish it could be like US flight 1549, but it was not to be. May their souls rest in peace.

- A. Oluwasegun Akin-Olugbade

One suggestion for the crash "site" is to use the crash area to build a "Memorial" for all of those live's lost. Since the "heat" of the crash would not leave any body's recoverable, this would be a very good idea, for everyone effected by this tragedy, to have a place to heal & pray. My deepest sympathy's & thought's & prayer's with all those effected.

- Esther Smith of Lockport, NY

The news of Flight 3407 is very upsetting, I live in the flight path of St.Louis airport,it make you realize it can happen anywhere. Please pass along our condolences to all of New York and the families of those who were lost.

- Steve from St. Louis

My thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to the families and friends of those lost in this horrible tragedy. Unbelievable is all I can say.

- Shaun (Kenmore NY)

This is such a horrible tragedy. God Bless all those that were on board along with all the friends and families and Thank You Lord for all the First Responders, State Police, Firefighters, Erie County Sheriffs Department and all of those involved. My thoughts and prayers go out to all.

- Susan Green in Ellicottville, NY

Hold your families alittle tighter, pray alittle harder and appreciate what you have alittle more. We as a community now need to come together to help all those affected by this tragedy.

- Larry, Niagara Falls

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 03:55 PM

My family and I would like to offer our deepest condolences to all affected by this tragic event. May your faith keep you strong and get you through this trying time. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.

- John and Kaitlin Kraemer

Austin, Texas is thinking of and praying for western NY today.

-Donald and Erin Rau, Austin, TX

We here in Kansas send our prayers and thoughts out to all of the families, and our thanks to the emergency workers.

- Elizabeth

Our family lives in Clarence and we see the planes fly over our homes every day. We are all in shock that this tragedy has occurred so close to our homes. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims and the emergency response personnel.

- Chris

I am an officer in the Buffalo Police Dept. Reserve Unit and I have spent 30 proud years protecting all people that I come in contact with. It is terribly painful that I could not protect my brothers and sisters on this plane, I feel like I was not there for them when they needed me most.The only weapon I have left is not to forget them, to pray for them and keep their loved ones close to my heart. I know my fellow officers suffer with me and wish we could have been there.

- Lt. Bill Downie, B.P.D.R.

It's often hard to find words of comfort during times of tragedy.

- Ken B in New Jersey

I can't tell you how many times we've connected flights in Newark. We are so sorry and out thoughts go out to all the family, friends, neighbors and all the heroes involved in this horrific tragedy. We are positive that the "City of Good Neighbors" will take care of all the victims families and first responders involved.

- Craig Michener/ Jill Zloty in Lexington, NC

As someone had stated earlier, ' I can't stop crying '...I also, am having trouble dealing with this whole tragic, horrific event. My Mothers house is very close to where the plane finally rests. God be with everyone, everywhere dealing with this tragedy.
It will be long remembered.

- Sheri Olivieri

As 30+ year natives to the Buffalo area we extend our condolences to the families involved. We keep these families in prayer during this tragic time.

- Steve & Lisa (Dallas, TX)

Watching your live stream from CC Texas. Heartbreaking for all the families of those who died so suddenly. Prayers for all the families to help them cope with this tradegy.

- Karen in Corpus Christi, TX

I just want to tell everyone out there how sorry I am to hear of this grate calamity, my hart goes out to all those that were on the flight and their families! I would also like to tell you, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

- Jen

My condolences to families of passengers, crew members and ground victim. My partner and I travel via Continental Airlines a lot and are not even once disappointed in their super friendly services. It is unfortunate that this incident happened. Our prayers and love go to all affected.

- Lee Rahman & Bill Cochran in Warren, PA.

I am so sorry for the losses that the families are experiencing at this moment in time. My prayers will be with you for your loss.

- Diane Martino

All the words in the world cannot sufficiently express the sense of loss that the victims' families surely are experiencing right now. My family and I send each and every one of you our most sincere expressions of sympathy, and want you to know that all of you are in our thoughts and prayers.

- W. J. Wood and Family (Kenmore)

I am so sorry for all those who have lost someone in this tragic disaster. This is by far the saddest day since 9/11. I pray for the souls of those who passed away and their family and friends. May they Rest in Peace and may God have mercy on their souls.

- Susan

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your families through this time of sorrow. We are very sorry for your loss.

- June, Cameron and Kayla Bosworth

I would just like to tell all the families that my heart goes out to each and every one of them. I have been watching since this morning and it just gets harder to watch. Please know my prayers are with everyone at this time, stay strong and know God is with your loved ones.

- Doug

I travel the thruway each night during the week. Last night as I go on the thruway at exit 50 eastbound I noticed a fireball to my left. It was about 10:10 pm. I did not pay too much attention to it at the time except that I watched it for a few minutes as I drove eastbound. Of course as I listened to the radio I heard the breaking news. Now of course my condolences go out to all the family members and victims of the downed aircraft. I am so sorry for your loss.

- Tommy in Williamsville

I just wanted to let all the families of the victims, that I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers. God Bless All.

- Rebecca

God bless all those who lost their life and may he be merciful to them all. So sad about the news, praying for the families and friends of those who have to bear this loss.

- Ron

Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to all those who lost a family member, friend or acquaintance in this crash. It is a tragedy that will remain in our hearts for a long time to come.

- Kim & Allan Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario CANADA

I pray for all the families and loved ones of the victims that they might find some comfort and peace around this terrible tragedy.

May God be with you.

- Tom

My prayers go out to all who have family and friends on the plane.

- Lucille

Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families. Our hearts just fell when we seen it all happen on the news. May God be with everyone.

- Kim Albion NY

Every resident of the Village of Pike want to send there condolences to victims of flight 3407. We also want extend a blessing to the victims family and friends. We would also, want say thank you to the rescue and fire workers who responded the crash. Also want to give out prayer to all the residents of the fine community of Clarence, NY. May god bless you all

Thank you,
Lyman Granger JR.
Village of Pike Mayor

Words cannot express our sorrow for the crash victims and their families. Our prayers go out to all of them as well as thanks to the many first responders and emergency personnel dealing with this crash.

- Mike and Jo-Ann Criscione

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 03:57 PM

I was on my way home Thursday night about 11pm heading on the 90E towards Lackawanna as I saw about 5 State Troopers just flying down the 90W and was thinking to myself "I wonder what's going?" and as I got home and turned the news on I saw just thought.

There are no right words to say at this time for all the families & friends involved but my heart and prayers go out to all of you. And my family will keep praying....God Bless!

- L. Rogan

Our thought and Prayers are with the Family members of the crew, passengers and all those effected in the community. May God's, love and healing be with you.

- Anonymous

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families and friends of the victims of this horrible plane crash. I was just devastated to hear of this and even more devastated to learn this morning that a friend I used to work with had a daughter on that plane.

- Mary

As a Buffalonian and lifelong resident of WNY living in Clarence, I am deeply saddened to hear about the crash that occurred a few miles from our previous home. We moved to Tampa in early August but our hearts are with you. I know that the Buffalo community will come together to meet needs and more.

We are praying for all the families.

- Monica Wharton

My prayers goes out to the families to close to home I live where the explosions happen in the 80s dear God. I am sorry.

- Anonymous

This is an unbelievable tragedy. My heart and my prayers are with all the family and friends of the victims. My sister lives one street away from the crash site with her daughter and boyfriend, and I thank God that they are safe. It was surreal to wake up and hear the news this morning. My heart breaks for all in my hometown.

- Sara
Chester Springs, PA

This is so very very sad. As an Erie County resident for years and a UB Graduate, I pray for the victims, their families, and those charged with the task of maintaining calm and order in the wake of a terrible loss of life and property. Western New Yorkers know how to pull together.

- John

Sending condolences from a Buffalo Native in Las Vegas, NV.

When living in Buffalo I lived in Cheektowaga and my house was so close to the airport that I could see the peoples faces when the planes were landing. It was always my fear living there that something like this would happen.

My heart goes out to the people involved in this tragedy. My God be with all of them at this time.

-Christine

Our Sincerest condolences to all the families affected by this terrible tragedy. Having lost our son Christopher in September in the Metrolink train accident in California, we know first hand how devastating this can be to the families, how it seems so unreal and how it alters your life forever.

Loosing a loved one in such an unexpected accident is one of the most difficult things to deal with. One has no control over the situation and must rely so much on others. Our hearts go out to all the families and friends of those lost.

Our best advice to dealing with this situation is to let anyone who wants to help you in whatever capacity, to let them help. It is what they need to do and it is amazing how a simple gesture like a hug can be such great comfort.

So many reached out to us in our sorrow as will all of you and you will be amazed the comfort it can provide. If not for all the outpouring of love and prayers from so many, it would be impossible to get through, but there are many out there who care, whether they know you personally or not.

Let their love, support and prayers help you through this terrible event.

Again our Sincerest, Deepest Sympathy too all affected.

- The Aiken Family
Gasport, NY

Me & my family would like to send our sincere condolences to all of the familes of flight 3407 & of just seeing of all the pain that they are going through after losing a loved one from this tradegy.But,as people might say life must & will go on & that we have to live our lives everyday to the fullest!

- Anonymous

My heart goes out to the victims and their families. This tragedy is so sad. God Bless them all!

- Maria from Indiana!

Dear Families,

Just wanted to send my deepest condolences to all families that lost a loved one on that flight.

My heart is filled with grief for all of you and your families. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.

With love and sorrow,

- Shannon in Buffalo, NY

I am a resident of Amherst and I awoke this morning to the horrific event and I want to send all my love and prayers to the families that lost a love one.

It is sad when an event like this happens in our area but it is comforting to see Buffalo pull together for its own.

This event brings perspective to my life and I hope that the people of the Clarence Center area and surrounding communities can come together to help these families who lost a love one cope and rebuild their lives that have been shattered.

- Mike S.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of flight 3407. Thank you Channel 2 for your excellent reporting on this horrific tragedy and placing a human element to all the facts. God bless all the families at this tragic time.

-Jessica Nadolny

I wish there were some words of comfort I could offer to the families of the victims. The deceased are in the arms of God. May God bless and be with you. I will pray for you all day.

- Eileen C.

This is one of the most horrifying experiences that have happened to Western, New York. When I first saw this, I called my mother and asked if my uncle was the Pilot. And thankfully he wasnt, but its always scary thinking something like this could happen. I give my prayers to the families and those of the Clarence area.

- Caitlin

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 03:57 PM

There are not any words to express how sorry I am for the loss of family members. I am praying for them and for the victims. Also my prayers and thanks go out to the Firefighters,emts,medics, and state police as my brother is a state trooper and I have my emt degree....we have to pray for the emergency responders because in class your not exposed to this amount of feeling helpless and sadness that they carry til they go to debriefing. Which I am hoping they are setting up debriefings fro the emergency responders. God bless all.

- Margaret

so sorry to hear of this crash. you are all in my prayers.

- Susan in Powell, Ohio

i just wanted to give my prayers to all the victims, and emergency fighting teams... i used to live in Salamanca, ny and this is very devastating to me.

- Alyssa

What a tragedy. Brazil woke up this morning with such shocking news from western NY.

My prayers go to all those involved in such sad event.

- Marcelo Fazenda - Sao Paulo, Brazil

My heart aches for all the victims and the families of this horrible tragedy. My prayers are with them.

- Susan

Seeing the outpouring of love and support in the wake of this tragedy makes me proud as ever to claim Buffalo as my hometown. Thoughts and prayers to the entire community in this difficult time.

- Kristy

I moved to Ohio, but was born and raised in Western New York. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected.

- Mark

My thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones in last night's plane crash in Clarence. I live 4 miles from the Cincinnati, Ohio airport, and could not imagine if a plane crashed here.

- Jeremy Moses
Florence, Kentucky

My condolences go out to the band members of Chuck Mangione band, 2 of the members were on the plane.

- Shelley Kuhn

As a Canadian transplant, and tremendously proud of our beautiful South Buffalo neighborhood and "adopted home-town" heroes and residents...

Our hearts are incredibly heavy ...

Weeping along with you all!

Grace and peace,

- Courlas Family

Me deepest condolences to all the victims and their families of flight 3407. May God grant comfort to all affected by this tragedy, and may all those who parished, Rest In Peace.

- Carmelina

We send our deepest Condolences to the families of flight 3407, may our thoughts of you offer you strength,

- Sue Ridpath, Madoc, Ontario, Canada

I just want to cry along with the family members. My heart aches

- Ken and Diane

My heart goes out to the victims of this crash. Every life is precious and I feel such loss. I pray the peace of God reign in the hearts of all who are involved.

- D W

my thoughts and prayers go out to all the families of the victims onboard and on the ground; also to all first responders and emergency personnell working this trajedy.

- Susan

My deepest sympathy goes to every family touched by this tragedy. May God be with you in your sorrow and help you get through each and every day and minute.

I am so sorry.

Renée

Its hard to say things during this time but my thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved. Its takes very special people to do what they are doing now. Also, the pilots of the plane to me are heroes. To have a plane lose control like that and hit the ground with minimal damage and loss of life is a miracle within itself.

- Dave Durolek Bradford, Pa

I currently live in San Francisco but grew up and spent my whole life in Clarence. I went to Clarence, H.S. My parents live 5 miles from the crash. My heart grows out to everyone who perished as well as their families.

- Meg Cinti

As a graduate of SUNY Fredonia and a friend of the Buffalo community, the news today hit too close to home for too many.

Please know that in this hour of tragedy, you are not alone. There are many feeling your grief today.

When you are able to read this, what I can offer to you is that there is another side. When my Dad Lou was killed on 9/11/01, the most unlikely of lessons from that day was learning the resiliency of our human spirit when times can seem the hardest. That in the face of our darkest hour is when we can sometimes find our brightest light.

Please know that there are many prayers coming your way and that you have a friend to talk to anytime if you need an ear to listen.

With deepest sympathy,

- Antonio Aversano

my thoughts and prayers go out to all the families of the victims of this tragedy; as well as the first responders and emergency personnell working this horrific accident.

- Susan

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=64160&catid=298

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 04:08 PM

Flight 3407 Plummeted Straight Down, Killing 50
Victims Include Sept. 11 Widow Beverly Eckert
By LISA STARK, EMILY FRIEDMAN and MARK MOONEY
Feb. 13, 2009

Experts are baffled why a commuter plane with 49 people on board plummeted out of the sky so suddenly that the pilot didn't even have time to broadcast a Mayday alert.

Those on board and one person on the ground were killed when the plane crashed into a house several miles short of Buffalo Niagara airport.

Witnesses say the Dash 8 Q400 Bombardier aircraft, operated by Continental Express, came down in such a steep fall that it demolished the house, but spared other homes in the crowded neighborhood.

Miraculously two women, Karen Wielinski, 57, and her daughter Jill, 22, escaped the home in the town of Clarence Center, N.Y., with minor injuries. The Buffalo News reports that Douglas Wielinski, 61, is also registered as living at that house, but there was no official identity of the victim.

Neighbors told ABC News that Karen Wielinski was at the back of the house and saw the plane coming straight toward her. Her daughter was upstairs when the plane hit and the roof collapsed on her, Michelle and Paul Beiter said. Both women were taken to Millard Hospital.

The crash occurred in light snow about 10:20 p.m. Thursday as the turboprop was about five miles away from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The 74-seat plane was flying from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

It was the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States in 2½ years.

President Obama voiced condolences, saying "our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones."

The crash site erupted into a massive fire, fed by 5,000 pounds of fuel the plane was carrying as well as a natural gas leak within the demolished building. Rescuers were still unable to get near the crash site this morning and didn't expect to be able to officially begin their probe until this afternoon.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Steve Chealander said, however, that rescuers were attempting to retrieve the plane's two black boxes that track all of the plane's mechanical and electrical systems. Those boxes were recovered this morning and were apparently in good shape, the NTSB said.

Brendan Biddlecom, who lives a few blocks from the crash site, told "Good Morning America" today that he had just finished putting his children to bed.

"I heard what sounded like a low buzzing sound, like a chain saw. I knew it was a plane, and I thought, gosh that almost sounds like a plane going down," Biddlecom told "GMA."

"Immediately there was an explosion and the house kind of shook," he said. "It was a terrifying sound." After checking on his children, Biddlecom went outside.

"A few moments later there was an additional explosion and the sky just lit up," he said.

Bob Dworak was watching television when he heard the plane pass overhead, which wasn't unusual because his house is on the airport's flight path.

He hurried to the crash site and was greeted by an enormous fire.

"When we went there, we couldn't see the tail [of the plane] at all. The flames were just so big. All we saw when we got there was a giant column of fire going up where the house was," Dworak said.

Clarence emergency control director Dave Bissonette indicated the plane came straight down.

"It basically dove right into the top of the house from my perspective," Bissonette said. "I'm no expert on re-creation, but it landed on the house, clearly a direct hit."

The pilot of the plane was identified as Capt. Marvin Renslow. The airline said he had been flying for them since Sept. 5, 2005 and had logged 3,379 hours flying for the airline. A neighbor in Lutz, Fla., said Renslow also moonlighted at a local Publix grocery store. An official at Publix confirmed that a person named Renslow worked for them for several years until Aug. 11, 2008.

According to entries on Renslow's Plaxo.com page, he began training on a larger plane last October. His entry on Dec. 8, 2008 exulted, "finished with training and now based in beautiful Newark!"

The tapes of the control tower show how suddenly pilot Capt. Marvin Renslow and First Officer Rebecca Shaw must have lost control of the plane. At one point, the air traffic controller is talking to the plane and then suddenly there is no answer.

"Call me 3407 Buffalo," the controller says, referring to the missing plane. "Call me 3407 approach."

When there is nothing but silence, the controller asks the pilot of a nearby plane to see whether the missing plane is visible.

"Delta 1998, look out your right side about five miles for a Dash 8. It should be 2,300. Do you see anything there?" the controller asks.

"Ah negative Delta 1998," the pilot replies.

"Call me 3407 Buffalo. … Call me 3407 Buffalo," the controller resumes before he broadens his plea for help.

"OK for all aircraft this frequency. We did have a Dash 8 over the marker that didn't make the airport. … He appears to be five miles away from the airport."

Other pilots are asked by the control tower whether they are experiencing any icing on their wings.

"It doesn't appear to be building. We've got about a half inch. … About a quarter inch on us from the descent that has remained with us the whole time," says the Delta 1998 pilot.

A plane identified as Cactus 1452 says, "We've been picking up ice here for about the past 10 minutes."

The Turboprop Usually Handles Icing Well

But air safety expert John Nance told "GMA" that he would be surprised if icing caused the crash.

Icing, Nance said, is "usually something that this type of aircraft can handle very well. … And it's a brand new aircraft."

Whatever did happen, he said, "was very precipitous. They were fighting a battle that was only seconds long."

"GMA" weather anchor Sam Champion said high winds that had blown through the area earlier in the night had calmed down by the time of the crash.

Stories began to emerge of the crash victims.

Flight Victims: Sept. 11 Widow Beverly Eckert

Beverly Eckert, whose husband died in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, was aboard the plane. Eckert became a familiar spokeswoman for many of the 9/11 families. She was heading to Buffalo for a celebration of what would have been her husband's 58th birthday.

Obama, who met with Eckert last week, praised her as a "tireless advocate for the families" of 9/11.

"In keeping with that passionate commitment, she was on her way to Buffalo to mark what would have been her husband's birthday and launch a scholarship in his memory. She was an inspiration to me," the president said.

Chris Kausner said his sister Ellyce was also on the plane. The second-year student at Florida Coastal School of Law was coming home to be her nephew's guest at hid kindergarten Valentine's Day party.

Chris Kausner said his sister doted on her five nieces and nephews.

"She was a great aunt. Man, she loved those kids. They are going to miss her," he said.

The last plane to go down was a US Airways jet that crash landed in the Hudson River last month. Everyone was rescued from that flight. The jetliner went down after power to both engines was knocked out by a collision with geese.

Thursday's crash was the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since Aug. 27, 2006, when 49 people died in Lexington, Ky., when a Comair jet crashed on takeoff after pilots mistakenly used the wrong runway. ABC News' Alice Gomstyn, Scott Mayerowitz and Jonann Brady contributed to this report.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/Business/story?id=6870612&page=1

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 04:10 PM

About Flight 3407 and
its victims
The crew on board is now identified

Updated: Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 2:52 PM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 1:20 PM EST

* Written by Brian Tabor Posted by Emma Orn

CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) - Pinnacle has talked about the plane and has identified the crew on board.

First the crew members: The captain identified as Marvin Renslow who's been with Colgan since September 2005. Co-pilot Rebecca Shaw joined in January of last year. Flight attendents Matilda Quintero and Donna Prisco have been with Colgan less than a year, since May of 2008.

The off-duty crew member on board has been identified as Pilot Joseph Zuffoletto. A source says the crew was based out of Newark.

As for the plane, it was a new Bombardier Dash 8 Q400. It was manufactured in April of 2008 and put into service that month, so it's less than a year old.

This is the first fatal crash involving a Q400 in the U.S. There was a deadly crash with the plane in New Zealand back in 1995.

It had been flying shuttles to Albany Thursday, and then switched to the flight to Buffalo Thursday night. It was Continental's last flight into Buffalo from Newark. Flight 3407 was delayed two hours last night. Sources in Newark say there were weather delays all night due to high winds.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/About_Flight_3407_and_its_victims_20090213

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 04:12 PM

Springville couples
tearful reunion
David Becony arrives to Buffalo
airport safely

Updated: Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 2:46 PM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 2:46 PM EST

* Lorey Schultz
* Posted by Kate McGowan

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The crash of Flight 3407 is a tragic story that is being covered by news media outlets from across the world. Journalists from across the country have come to Western New York to report on the story. News's 4's Lorey Schultz continues our team coverage.

Schultz said, "I was at the airport at around seven o'clock this morning. That's where I met a Springville woman. She usually waits outside the airport when she picks up her husband who travels a lot but today she went inside and here's why.

Seconds seemed like hours for Marti Becony who couldn't hide her anxiety.

"I'm shaking. I can't believe this", said Marti

Dozens of air travelers came and went at Buffalo Niagara International this morning. Marti was waiting for one person, her husband of seventeen years.

"Your husband was supposed to be on that flight?", asked Schultz.

Becony replied, "Yes. He was supposed to be on Flight 217 from New Orleans to New Jersey and then catch the 3407."

As fate would have it, David's flight in New Orleans was delayed. He wasn't on that fatal flight.

"You must feel for those families," said Schultz.

"It's just awful. Awful. I feel for bad because I'm happy and their said and I feel bad for them," said Marti.

Her husband's rescheduled flight is now due any minute.

"I just can't wait to see his face come down that line," exclaimed Marti.

Marti said, "I'm just a wreck."

Finally the moment arrives. Media from all around the world moves in on the tearfilled couple. He's overwhelmed.

"I'm fortunate. I feel sorry for all the families involved. I feel bad for them and my heart goes out to those people. It could have been me", said David

"I can't imagine life without him. So when you say goodbye, you never know", Marti said.

The couple left the airport and headed home to Springville to meet with their children.

There are other stories similar to this. We are hearing that some irish dancers from Williamsville were also scheduled to be on Flight 34-07, but hopped a different one, and are home safe and sound.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Springville_couples_tearful_reunion_20090213

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 04:15 PM

Community Events Planned For Continental Connection Flight 3407 Victims
Story Published: Feb 13, 2009 at 9:46 AM EST
Story Updated: Feb 13, 2009 at 2:34 PM EST
By WKBW News

If you know of an event planned, please click HERE to e-mail Eyewitness News

*****Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church plans a prayer vigil Friday at 4:00pm for all denominations. This vigil is being done in conjuction with all churches in the Clarence/East Amherst area.

*****The Clarence Community & Schools Federal Credit Union has set up a fund for the Wielinski Family of Clarence. They lost their home and all of their belongings in the crash of Flight 3407. The credit union is located at 9145 Sheridan Drive in Clarence. The telephone is (716)-630-0888.

*****A fund has also been setup for the Wielinski family at the Clarence Post Office.
You can send donations to:

Clarence Post Office
General Delivery
c/o Wielinski Family
9845 Main Street
Clarence, NY 14031

http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/39553582.html

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 04:22 PM

4:05pm UPDATE

CLARENCE, N.Y.- Investigators have recovered the two "black boxes" from the burned-out wreckage of a plane that crashed near Buffalo and killed 50 people. Spokesman Keith Holloway of the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday that the flight data and cockpit voice recorders have already been sent to Washington for examination. Contintental Connection Flight 3407 crashed into a house late Thursday as it approached the Buffalo airport. An NTSB team is trying to determine what caused the 74-seat plane to drop out of the sky without warning.

CLARENCE, N.Y.- The woman who survived a commuter plane crashing into her suburban Buffalo, New York, home says she and her daughter were watching television when the aircraft smashed through the roof, pinning them in the wreckage. Karen Wielinski says she was in the family room of her home in Clarence and her 22-year-old daughter Jill was upstairs. Wielinski says she knew something was wrong when she heard a plane approaching and says, "The next thing I knew the ceiling was on me." She says she managed to crawl out of a hole in the wreckage as fire erupted around her. Her daughter escaped in a similar manner. Wielinski says she still hasn't been told of the fate of her husband, Doug, who was in another part of the house.

2:05pm UPDATE

PARTIAL LIST OF FATALITIES RELEASED

Names of people killed in crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407. The names have been provided by airline officials, relatives or friends.

Crew members:
- Capt. Marvin Renslow, pilot, of Lutz, Fla.
- Rebecca Shaw, first officer, of Maple Valley, Wash.
- Matilda Quintero, flight attendant.
- Donna Prisco, flight attendant.
- Capt. Joseph Zuffoletto, off-duty crew member.

Passengers:
- Alison Des Forges, of Buffalo, considered one of the world's leading experts on the genocide in Rwanda.
- Beverly Eckert, of Stamford, Conn., whose husband died in the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
- Ellyce Kausner, student at Florida Coastal School of Law.
- Maddy Loftus, of Parsippany, N.J. Headed to Buffalo for weekend reunion of women hockey players.
- Coleman Mellett, guitarist in jazz musician Chuck Mangione's band.
- Gerry Niewood, saxophonist and member of jazz musician Chuck Mangione's band.
- Susan Wehle, of Amherst, N.Y. Was cantor at Temple Beth Am in Williamsville.
- Carl Yarber, of Riverside, Calif., member of several Tampa Bay, Fla.-area bands over the past several decades.

NEW YORK- A publicist says two members of jazz musician Chuck Mangione's band were among those killed on the plane that crashed into a Buffalo, New York, house. Publicist Sanford Brokaw identifies the band members as Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett. In a statement Mangione, said: "I'm in shock over the horrible, heartbreaking tragedy."

http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/39535247.html

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 04:25 PM

Breaking News: Continental Airlines Crew & Victims Identified

Update: We are releasing the names of passengers as they become available.

Four employees from the Amherst office of Northrup Grumman, a defense contractor.

Update: Two members of the Chuck Magione Band: Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett

Pilot, Capt. Marvin Dean Renslow of Lutz, Fla.

First flight officer Rebecca Lynne Shaw, Maple Valley, Washington.

Flight attendant Matilda Quintero.

Flight attendant Donna Prisco.

Capt. Joseph Zuffoletto, off-duty crew member from Jamestown.

Beverly Eckert, Former Amherst resident

Alison DeForges, who once taught at the University at Buffalo.

Ellyce Kausner, a graduate of Clarence High School and Canisius College.

Madeline Loftus, 24, a former Buffalo State College student who lives in New Jersey.

Susan Wehle, cantor at Temple Beth Am, Amherst.

Don McDonald, Fort Erie resident, was a technical manager at Pharmetics.

Zhaofang Guo 55, of Williamsville, husband of Dr. Ping Wang.Dr. Wang works at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

The parent company for the Continental airplane that crashed into a Clarence Center home Thursday night has released the names of the crew members who perished aboard the flight.

New York State Police say all 48 people on board Continental Airlines flight #3407 that crashed in Clarence Center and one person on the ground were killed.

A mother and daughter, ages 57 and 22, were treated and released for non-life threatning injuries from Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital.

Two volunteer firefighters are also being treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries. They are expected to be released later this morning.

Concerned family members should call Continental Airlines at 1-800-621-3263.

Residents in Clarence should call (716) 741-8930.

Facebook Group for Victims' Family, Friends & Community Support:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=50653778732

Authorities tell 2 On Your Side the plane that went down on Long Street near the intersection of Goodrich and Clarence Center Roads was a commuter plane traveling from Newark, New Jersey to Buffalo, New York. The plane last had radio contact with air traffic controllers in Cleveland at shortly after 10:00 p.m. while it flew at an altitude of 15,000 feet.

"Continental extends its deepest sympathy to the family members and loved ones of those involved in this accident," said Larry Kellner, chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines. "We are providing our full assistance to Colgan Air so that together we can provide as much support as possible for all concerned. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the family members and loved ones of those involved in the flight 3407 tragedy."

People living in Clarence who are unable to get to their homes or who have been evacuated should call the Clarence Senior Center at 633-5138.

The Cheektowaga Senior Center has also opened its doors for family members of the victims, offering grief counceling. If you have any questions call the Senior Center at 686-3930.

Road Closures:

* Clarence Center Road (Eastbound/Westbound) from Thompson Road to Strickler Road is closed.
* Goodrich Road (Northbound/Southbound) from Roll Road to County Road is closed.

School Closings:

* Clarence Central Schools CLOSED

Stay with 2 On Your Side and wgrz.com for the latest updates.

You can also visit the Continental Airlines web site for updated information.

WGRZ-TV/wgrz.com

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=64153&catid=37

wind149

02-13-2009, 04:55 PM

I have several theories as to what might have happened. The networks and some of their talking heads and some pilots are speculated that ice might have played a factor and that could be the right assumption. Back in 1981 in DC a plane crashed into the Potomac River as well as hitting a bridge after taking off and later it was determined that the plane, while having been de-iced once, the pilot in his haste to take off did not determine or see that ice had built back up while they were sitting on the tarmac waiting for take-off, got clearance from the tower and and took off but was having a hard time getting airborne caused by drag and the ice that had built up again, they lost momentum and it was too late for them to abort the flight and they crashed killing 4 people on the bridge died and all but 6 people perished.

Now the weather last night was less then ideal, major snow and ice coming down, you had ice fog and what I found strange is that plane dove right into the house, the left wing was tipped toward the ground, according to eye witnesses, which could mean possible mechanic failure. I survived a crash in 1979 of a small aircraft. My father-in-law had a twin engine Cessna and flew often. On that day, I worked days and my husband worked the night shift and we were down to one car as he cracked his up so I would ride to my job with Dick. I worked at a fairly upscale restaurant of which Dick and the owner were good friends, in fact Dick would fly to Maine to get fresh lobster and fish. If he came into the bar after work and has a cocktail I knew we were going home and if he ordered a Coke we were flying somewhere.

This day, to another airport 40 miles away. It was a beautiful fall day, clear skies, should have been an uneventful flight. About 15 miles from the airport we got runway clearance and prepared for landing as we start to go in, the landing gear refuses to engage. Dick tries every which way to get it to come down and it is not budging. That is when I knew we were gonna have to crash land. He flew over a cornfield about 4 miles out, he jettisoned the fuel and I notified the tower that we were declaring a Mayday and told them why. They advise us that they are going to foam the runway and have all 911 agencies at hand. We come in a little fast but we had to and what was unnerving before I prepared myself mentally and physically, I looked down at the airport and saw fire trucks, ambulances, airport officials and realized, holy crap they are there for us!!!

We hit the foamed runway and believe it or not it wasn't that big of a deal!!! The belly of the plane sustained a little damage, but without the foam we would have been injured or killed on impact and I did some major praying at that moment!! We get out of the plane and everyone is around us and we just starting clapping!!! The man we were supposed to pick up had no idea that we were the crashing airplane until he looked out and saw us walking toward the terminal and he was just like blown away! We met with members of NTSB and FAA about two hours later and told them what happened and they took control over the plane.

All I wanted was a big huge Sea Breeze!!! Now we had not told my husband or mother-in-law where we going because it was so routine, so I called him at work and told him what happened and he tells his boss and he tells Paul GO GO and about an hour later he is meeting us at the bar! We go home and we have to tell Mom and of course she freaked out but when she realized it could have been a lot worse she was OK with it. It hit me about my third drink, wow! I survived a plane crash and not a scratch on me!! The cause of the crash? Small planes have to be inspected one a year which meant tearing it down right to the last bolt, check all the instruments, wiring, bolts and screws. Dick usually did the inspection himself with my husband helping him. He kept the plane at an air service and he had been promoted to the CEO of the company he worked for and did not have much spare time so he trusted the AS. As it turned out the NTSB found that a 50 cent o-ring on the landing gear had not been corrected and it fell off somewhere in our flight causing the gears to freeze up. When he found this out he hit the mechanic upside the head and the AS's insurance paid for the $4,000 damage to the plane.

I was pissed to think that an overlook of a 50 cent part could have killed us and I did fly again and have since. It was a miracle Flight 1549 was able to glide into the Hudson, this plane was clearly doomed and did not have any time to jettison the fuel which could have prevented the intense fire and maybe some lives could have been spared, even on 9/11 people survived in the towers after the planes hit despite heavy fuel contents on both planes. I am sure that this tragedy, the NTSB will figure out the cause and if it was mechanical, they can prevent it from happening to to other planes. There was another crash in the US that a jackscrew in the tail rudder failed and the pilots lost hydraulics and that was the flight that went down in Iowa on July 19th 1989, my 30th birthday.

Several people died but some including the pilot and crew survived due in part to a brave crash landing by pilot Al Haynes and when I saw the plane crash, I was like no one could have survived that, but they did. After that, all jackscrews were inspected every 100 hours which all jetlines have to do. SO my heart goes out out to victims, especially one. her husband died on 9/11 and she was so vital helping other families to make sense of that tragic event and was going to Buffalo to celebrate his life and his birthday, this has to be a double shot of pain for her family and I am so sad for her as well as all the others .While aviation is still one of the most safest ways to travel, we are reminded that when it is out time to go, we don't have a choice.

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 05:02 PM

Sept. 11 Widow Dies in Buffalo Crash
By DEVLIN BARRETT, AP
posted: 3 HOURS 49 MINUTES AGO

WASHINGTON (Feb. 13) - One of the victims of Continental Flight 3407, Beverly Eckert, was a Sept. 11 widow who put her never-ending grief to good use to make the country safer.

Just last week, Eckert was at the White House with Barack Obama, part of a meeting the president had with relatives of those killed in the 2001 attacks and the bombing of the USS Cole to discuss how the new administration would handle terror suspects.

"She was such an important part of all of our work," said Mary Fetchet, another 9/11 family activist. She learned Eckert was aboard the plane from another close Eckert family friend now headed to Buffalo. Officials investigating the crash have not yet confirmed she was on board the plane.

Eckert, who was flying to Buffalo to celebrate what would have been her husband Sean Rooney's 58th birthday, was one of the most visible, tearful faces in the aftermath of the terror attacks.

She cried as she told the story about how her husband — her high school sweetheart — was on the phone in the World Trade Center telling her he loved her when suddenly there was a loud explosion and nothing more.

She carried that grief to Congress as she tried to make the government do a better job protecting its citizens from terrorism.

Eckert was part of a small group of Sept. 11 widows, mothers, and children who became amateur lobbyists, ultimately forcing lawmakers in 2004 to pass sweeping reforms of the U.S. intelligence apparatus.

They spent months walking the halls of Congress. All of the women were grieving, but Eckert seemed unable or uninterested in holding back her tears.
When it was over and they'd won passage of the intelligence reform law, Eckert vowed to quit her high-profile role "cold turkey." All she wanted, she said, was to go home, buy groceries, and return to something like a regular life.

"I did all of this for Sean's memory, I did it for him," she said, crying again.

"There is a euphoria in knowing that we reached the top of the hill. ... I just wanted Sean to come home from work. Maybe now, someone else's Sean will get to come home."

Eckert was flying to her hometown Thursday night when the plane crashed on approach to the Buffalo airport.

The names of passengers have not been officially released, although information about some of those on board has trickled out. Airline officials identified the crew as Capt. Marvin Renslow, pilot; first officer Rebecca Shaw; and flight attendants Matilda Quintero and Donna Prisco. An off-duty crew member on board was Capt. Joseph Zuffoletto.

After the 2001 attacks, Eckert co-chaired the 9/11 Family Steering Committee, a group of activists devoted to exposing government failures that led up to the 2001 attacks, and fixing them.

She pushed for a 9/11 Commission. She pushed the Bush administration to provide more information to the commission. And when the commission's work was over, she pushed Congress to adopt their recommendations.

It was not an easy role for her.

One night after a long day at Congress, she found herself in the New York City train station, without a connecting train to her Connecticut home.

"We slept in the train station. We had no place else to go. That's when you look at yourself and say, 'What am I doing? How can we possibly get this done?'."

As Congress hemmed and hawed, Eckert vowed to sleep there, too, if it would get the law passed.

After the law passed, Eckert turned her energies to Habitat for Humanity, helping build homes for low-income families.

"I'm in shock, I just can't believe it," said Carie Lemack, whose mother died Sept. 11 on one of the hijacked planes. "Beverly had a can-do attitude about everything, and she never gave up."

http://news.aol.com/article/sept-11-widow-dies-in-buffalo-plane/342212?icid=200100397x1219130569x1201247641

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 05:05 PM

"Back in 1981 in DC a plane crashed into the Potomac River"

Yup.

If you check on the date, it was January 13.

That was my 21st birthday.

That will forever be etched in my memory...

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 05:23 PM

Breaking News: NTSB says plane crew saw significant ice before crash

A federal official says the crew of a commuter plane that crashed near Buffalo discussed "significant ice buildup" on the wings and windshield before the crash.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Steve Chealander also says the twin turboprop aircraft went through a "severe pitch and roll" after positioning its flaps for a landing.

Continental Connection Flight 3407 from Newark, N.J., was coming in for a landing when it went down in light snow and fog late Thursday. It was a few miles short of Buffalo-Niagara International Airport.

It crashed into a house. Forty-nine people aboard the plane and one person on the ground died.

The crash was the first fatal accident on a U.S. passenger flight since Aug. 27, 2006, ending the longest period on record without a death.

For hours after the crash, flames rose from the site of the destroyed two-story house in Clarence after Flight 3407 struck it around 10:20 p.m. EST Thursday.

The 74-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft, operated by Colgan Air, was flying from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in light snow and fog and crashed about 10 miles from the Buffalo airport. Forty-four passengers, four crew members and an off-duty pilot were aboard.

The wreckage is mainly confined to one property, said David Bissonette, emergency services coordinator for Clarence.
"The fuselage of the plane is on the footprint of the house,'' Bissonette said. "It basically dove into the top of the house. It's remarkable that it only took one house. As (catastrophic as) it was, it could've easily taken the whole neighborhood.''
Witnesses reportedly heard the twin turboprop aircraft sputtering before it crashed.

The cause of the crash was unknown.

A man who was in the house when the plane hit was killed. Two others inside the house, Karen Wielinski, 57, and her daughter, Jill, 22, escaped with minor injuries. Both women were taken to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, where Kaleida Health officials said they were in stable condition in the emergency room.

Jill Wielinski is a student at the State University College at Brockport, according to university spokesman David Mihalyov.
Several homes in that neighborhood sustained superficial damage, Bissonette said. Emergency responders evacuated residents from approximately 12 homes near the crash site for at least one day, as a precaution.

The aircraft, carrying 5,000 pounds of fuel, apparently exploded on impact, Erie County Executive Chris Collins said. He said it hit only one house that happened to be next to a firehouse, allowing rescuers to arrive in seconds. "The firefighters were on that scene immediately, attempting to rescue anyone who could have been rescued,'' Collins said. "What I've been told is that they got as close to the plane as they could. They were shouting out to see if there were any survivors on the plane. Truly a very heroic effort, but there were no survivors.''

New York Gov. David Patterson's office announced that he was planning to meet with victims' families midmorning at a senior citizens center in the neighboring town of Cheektowaga, where representatives from Continental Airlines, local chaplains and counselors were with the group of about 50.Numerous other public officials, including President Barack Obama, expressed sympathy, thanked the first responders and offered help.
Victims' names had not been released Friday morning, but family members confirmed some deaths.

Among the 49 passengers killed was Beverly Eckert, whose husband died in the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. A fellow 9/11 activist said Eckert was heading to Buffalo for a celebration of what would have been her husband's 58th birthday.

Eyewitness accounts

"I heard this loud crash and it shook the house,'' said Kathy Dworak, who lives about a quarter-mile from the site. She said residents of the neighborhood were used to planes rumbling overhead, "but this plane had a sputter as it flew over our house.'' Dworak said she and her husband stepped outside and saw 50- to-100-foot flames shooting into the air. "We could see nothing that told us it was a plane,'' she said. "It was just a massive ball of flames.''

Clarence Town Supervisor Scott Bylewski, who lives about a half-mile from the crash site, said he heard "what sounded like a door slamming. I looked outside and could see that the sky was red.''

Clarence is a growing eastern suburb of Buffalo, largely residential but with rural stretches and a population of about 28,000 people. The crash site is a street of older, single-family homes. The home that was demolished backed up to a large, open field.

Learning about loved ones

As family members of the victims arrived at the airport in the overnight hours, they were escorted by airport personnel to a private area. They were moved from the airport to the Cheektowaga Senior Citizen Center early Friday. "They are grieving. We are giving the support. We're helping them any way we can,'' said Capt. John Glascott with the Cheektowaga Police Department.

Hours after the crash, a support group for victims' families was created on the popular social networking site, Facebook, WGRZ-TV in Buffalo reported. The group's Facebook page provides basic information about the crash. It also provides links to Web sites and phone number for victim's families. Friday morning, the group had 162 members.

A press release by Continental Airlines said relatives and friends of those on Flight 3407 who wanted to give or receive information about those on board could telephone a special family assistance number, 800-621-3263.The last fatal airline crash in the United States was Aug. 27, 2006, when 49 people were killed after a Comair jetliner took off from a Lexington, Ky., runway that was too short.
--
(Contributing: Jeffrey Blackwell, Stephanie Veale and Chad Roberts, Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle; Alan Levin, USA TODAY, Associated Press)

Associated Press/Rochester Democrat/USA TODAY

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=64166&catid=292

wind149

02-13-2009, 09:12 PM

Donna, Weird isn't that on our birthdays two planes go down? I remember as nervous as I was being calm, I knew Dick was a hell of a pilot, he also flew fighter planes in Korea, I jokingly said to him that when I died I did not factor in I would die with him and he told me jokingly that he always thought he would die in the saddle and certainly not with me either. As it turns out we lived to tell about it and I thanked him for like the next three days. It was weird how many knew about it, I went to a bar with my husband couple of days later and the whole bar wanted to buy us drinks, my friends and family were freaked out, and about a week later it truly hit me. I survived odds, if not for the right amount of foam on the runway, we could have been killed.

He did like the pilot on flight 1549 did, he brought it down tail first and then he tilted the nose down when we reached the right speed to do so and then we just stopped, the first second I lifted my head up and I said to him, were we OK? And he asked me if I was hurt and I said no and we got out of the plane. I remember my legs feeling like rubber at first, and when I saw the first fireman who ran over to us, I knew I had to buck it because we would have to brief everyone what had happened and I had to stay calm and I did. I remember my husband every morning actually getting out of bed at 6 a.m. after that, he usually worked till midnight and I would be asleep when he came home and telling me he loved me because he said that morning he actually was grouchy and did not tell me anything but to pick up more beer!! So it was a hell of couple weeks, it made us more aware of life's fragility.

samanthajane13

02-13-2009, 09:48 PM

Yup-

Grandpa always told me-"NOSE UP, DAMMIT!"

Meanwhile...

Neighborhood's quiet night explodes in tragedy
By WILLIAM KATES and ADAM GELLER, Associated Press Writers William Kates And Adam Geller, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 52 mins ago

CLARENCE, N.Y. – By 10 p.m., a light cloak of snow had settled over the neatly tended homes that line Long Street, the quiet interrupted only by the occasional rumble of jets overhead.

In the white clapboard two-story set back from the sidewalk, the Wielinski family was getting ready to settle in for the night. Karen Wielinski, a secretary for the local school district, busied herself in the family room. Jill, her 22-year-old daughter, watched television in her bedroom upstairs. Husband Doug, an engineer, said he was heading up to bed.

A block away, Jaimeelyn Trujillo had the television on in her apartment. Her 12-year-old daughter, Tomasita, was working on the computer.

But the pair looked at each other when they heard a strange and unexpected humming sound — nothing like what they normally hear five miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

"I could tell something didn't sound right," Trujillo said. "Planes fly over all the time. Then it went dead silent."

At about the same time, Tony Tatro was driving home from the gym in his red Grand Am. The 35-year-old medical salesman followed his usual route, driving east on Clarence Center Road, past the rows of churches, small shops and homes, many of them built from kits in the 1920s and 1930s.

He was just a minute or two from his own home, when a plane passed so low over his car that he slammed on the brakes and pulled over.

The jet couldn't have been more than 75 feet above him, Tatro guessed. He craned his neck to get a view of it, and stared up in horror.

"The nose was pointed down and the left wing was tilted," Tatro said. "It was a bad trajectory, and it was headed the wrong way. I knew it was imminent that it was going to hit the ground."

As the plane plunged down into the neighborhood, Tatro reached for his cell phone and dialed 911. It was 10:17.

A block away, Karen Wielinski, too, knew something was terribly wrong.

"Planes do go over our house, but this one just sounded really different, louder, and I thought to myself, 'If that's a plane, it's going to hit something,'" Wielinski said in an interview Friday with Buffalo radio station WBEN-AM.

"The next thing I knew the ceiling was on me."

In the Trujillos' apartment, the strange silence lasted but a moment.

"Suddenly the whole building shook and we heard a terrifying crash and explosion," said Trujillo. "I was so scared. I was paralyzed on the couch."

Trujillo said they looked out the front window and didn't see anything. Then the screams of neighbors' voices filled the air.

"Call 911! Call 911!"

People emptied into the streets. Trujillo and her daughter joined them, running toward a flaming pile of debris where a house stood seconds earlier.

There wasn't much left of the house at 6038 Long Street, but Karen Wielinski was still inside.

"I was panicking a little but trying to stay cool," she said. "I happened to notice a little light on the right of me. I shouted first in case anybody was out there. Then I just kind of pushed what was on top of me off and crawled out the hole."

As she freed herself from the wreckage, Wielinski took in the scene. The back of her house was gone. The remainder was on fire. The wing of a plane — Continental Connection Flight 3407 from Newark, N.J. — protruded from the wreckage.

By now, Tatro had pulled up to his house, a block from where the plane went down. He got out and ran back toward the flames.

"It was surreal," Tatro said. "I felt so helpless. It's a sickening feeling to watch a plane and know it's going to crash."

Trujillo ran up at about the same time.

"The house was demolished. It was all gone," she said. "We started praying. That's all we could do."

Bruised but safe, Karen Wielinski reunited with her daughter, who had also escaped. They stared back at the house, the flames now so hot and high that it forced people to back away. Was Doug still inside?

"We just had to get out of there. We just had to get away from the fire," Wielinski told the radio station.

By sunrise Friday morning, the fire was out but the toll of the tragedy was just starting to set in.

Authorities said all 49 people aboard the plane had been killed — 44 passengers, four crew members and one off-duty pilot. One person was killed on the ground, whose identity had not yet been confirmed.

Karen Wielinski said she hadn't been told the fate of her husband, Doug, but added: "He was a good person, loved his family."

And in the close-knit neighborhood that was at the center of the tragedy, residents wondered if living there will ever feel the same.

"I call it Mayberry, it's so safe and friendly and everyone knows everyone," Carolyn Hartzell said.

The Wielinskis' neighbor Marla Grefath stared out her back window at their obliterated house and wondered how she had escaped. It made her think of her late husband, Mark, who died of cancer last November at 59. He was an air traffic controller.

"I think he guided that airplane so it didn't hit our house," Grefath said.

___

Adam Geller reported from New York City. AP Staff Writers Chris Carola and Helen O'Neill contributed to this story.

(This version corrects residents' last name, Wielinski not Wielenski.)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090214/ap_on_re_us/plane_into_home_neighborhood

And on that note, I'm gonna take a NAP. I laid down last night for 3 hours-from 7 till 10 pm, the crash happened, and I was up till about 9 am. Took a nap till 12:30 this afternoon, and now it's getting to me.

I'm so emotionally drained from this story, I can barely hold my head up.

I'll be back in the wee hours, folks...nighty-night!

Kellapple

02-14-2009, 12:46 PM

Hi SamanthaJane, (kelly here from Crime Chatters).

I've been reading your updates. thanks for keeping us posted.

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 01:55 PM

Hi Kelly!!!

Glad you popped in to read!!!

More updates and pictures will be coming soon!

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 03:12 PM

Plane crashes into home near Buffalo, killing 50
Reuters
By Gary Wiepert

BUFFALO, New York (Reuters) - A commuter plane suddenly nosedived and slammed into a home in snowy western New York state late on Thursday, killing all 49 people aboard and one on the ground as it burst into a giant ball of flames.

Speculation immediately focused on the icy conditions. The crew reported snow and mist and commented on ice buildup on the windshield and front edge of the wings shortly before the crash, investigators said after listening to the cockpit voice recorder.

The crash followed an extended period of safety in the U.S. airline industry and was the first deadly accident since August 2006, when a similar number of people were killed when a Comair jet crashed on takeoff in Kentucky.

Continental Connection Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air, was traveling to Buffalo from Newark, New Jersey. Colgan is a unit of Pinnacle Airlines.

The 74-seat plane -- a Dash 8 Q400 turboprop made by Canada's Bombardier Inc -- went down at about 10:20 p.m. EST (0320 GMT on Friday) about 6 miles before the runway at the Buffalo airport, authorities said.

This was the third fatal crash since 2003 for Pinnacle and its Colgan unit, according to safety records. The two previous flights, which were not carrying passengers, resulted in a total of four crew fatalities.

Bombardier said it was the first fatal crash involving a Dash 8 Q400 aircraft.

As the plane descended with its landing gear down, it suddenly and violently rotated its nose up and down and its wings see-sawed, investigators said after reviewing flight data and cockpit voice recorders recovered from the wreckage.

"Shortly after that the crew attempted to raise the gear and flaps, just before the end of the recording," said Steve Chealander of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Only the tail section of the plane appeared intact, sticking out of a crater as firefighters worked to put out a blaze fed by jet fuel and a natural gas leak.

TWO ESCAPE DESTROYED HOME

Two people escaped the destroyed house and neighboring homes went unscathed.

"It's hard to make sense of it today but God hasn't left us. Two of three people that were in the home that the plane landed on miraculously escaped.

A couple people missed the flight and saved their lives," New York Governor David Paterson told a news conference.

"So we just take what little we can and move forward."

There were 44 passengers, four crew members and an off-duty pilot on board. Among the victims was Beverly Eckert, the widow of a September 11 victim and an advocate for survivors.

Another victim was Alison Des Forges, one of the world's leading experts on the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

Witnesses in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence Center said the plane came out of the sky in a steep dive.

"I could hear what sounded like a high-pitched sound -- a tube with air rushing through it," Keith Burtis told CNN. "You could feel the ground shake."

Commercial aircraft are equipped with de-icing systems but safety experts say even a small buildup of ice on the wings can affect aerodynamics.

Thursday's disaster came less than a month after the successful crash landing of a US Airways jetliner on the Hudson River in New York City.

All 155 people on board survived after the plane hit birds, taking out both engines, and pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger brought it down safely on the river.

(Additional reporting by John Crawley, Randall Mikkelsen and Mohammad Zargham in Washington and Kyle Peterson in Chicago; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Todd Eastham)

http://news.aol.com/article/plane-crashes-into-home-near-buffalo/343256?icid=sphere_newsaol_inpage

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 03:24 PM

9/11 Widow, Musicians Among Victims
AP

(Feb. 13) - Portraits are emerging of the 50 people who died Thursday night when Continental Connection Flight 3407 crashed into a home near Buffalo, New York.

Alison Des Forges

Des Forges, of Buffalo, was senior adviser for Human Rights Watch's Africa division. Considered one of the world's leading experts on the genocide in Rwanda, Des Forges testified at 11 trials at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda as an expert witness. She was named a MacArthur Fellow in 1999.

Des Forges was returning home to Buffalo after a trip to Europe, where she briefed diplomats on the situation in Rwanda and Africa's Great Lakes region, said Emma Daly, spokeswoman for Human Rights Watch. She sent an e-mail to colleagues from the airport before boarding the plane.

"She was working till the end," Daly said.

Des Forges had a "tremendous commitment to human rights and her tremendous principles," Daly said.

"She made herself very unpopular with the Rwandan government by insisting that they be held responsible for the crimes they committed before the genocide," Daly said.

Daly called Des Forges "a thorn in everyone's side, which is a testament to her integrity."

Des Forges was born in Schenectady, N.Y., in 1942. In 1964, she married Roger Des Forges, a University of Buffalo historian specializing in China. She is survived by a daughter, a son, and three grandchildren.
___

Beverly Eckert

Eckert, of Stamford, Conn., was a Sept. 11 widow who became one of the most visible, tearful faces in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

Her husband, Sean Rooney, was on the phone in the World Trade Center telling her he loved her when suddenly there was a loud explosion and nothing more.

Eckert was heading to Buffalo, her hometown, for a celebration of what would have been her husband's 58th birthday, said Mary Fetchet, a 9/11 family activist.

Last week, she was at the White House with President Barack Obama as part of a meeting with relatives of those killed in the 2001 attacks and the bombing of the USS Cole to discuss how the new administration would handle terrorism suspects.

She was part of a small group of Sept. 11 widows, mothers and children who became amateur lobbyists, ultimately forcing lawmakers in 2004 to pass sweeping reforms of the U.S. intelligence apparatus.

When her work was done, she turned her energies to Habitat for Humanity, helping build homes for low-income families.
___

Ellyce Kausner

Kausner was a second-year law student at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville. Her sister, Laura Kausner, said Ellyce was flying home to be her nephew's date at a kindergarten Valentine's Day party on Friday.

Kausner was part of a group of about a half-dozen young women who had remained close friends since middle school, said one of the group, Candice Ciesla.

"Ellie was a crazy, out-there kind of girl, totally full of life," said Candice Ciesla. "This is a huge nightmare, the most surreal thing I've experienced."

Ciesla, who now lives in California, learned of Kausner's death when she got a call from a high school friend.

"I was in the grocery store when he called and I almost fainted right there," Ciesla said.
___

Madeline Loftus

Maddy Loftus, 24, of Parsippany, N.J., was headed to Buffalo for a reunion of the Buffalo State women's ice hockey team she played for in 2002 and 2003, said Jeff Ventura, the school's sports information director.

Loftus' 22-year-old brother, Frankie Loftus, said his sister never worried about flying because their father was a pilot for Continental. He said he dropped her off at the airport Thursday.

"She was an amazing person. She loved to make everyone happy," he said. "Everyone who met her loved her instantly."

Loftus transferred to St. Mary's University in Minnesota after her sophomore year, Ventura said.

Loftus "was one the greatest people who ever came out of Buffalo State hockey," said her former teammate, Carolyn Totaro. "She worked really, really hard to be where she was. Hockey was her passion, especially when it came down to competition. She was so driven to play hockey."

Loftus played for Buffalo State from 2002-04, finishing with 10 goals and three assists over 47 games. In two seasons at St. Mary's, the 5-foot-5 forward had 11 goals and 10 assists in 52 games.
___

Lorin Maurer

Maurer, 30, had worked raising money at Princeton University for its athletics department.

"We are heartbroken that someone so young and full of life could be taken from us so suddenly," Brian McDonald, the vice president of development at Princeton, said in a statement released by the university.

Maurer was traveling to New York to meet the family of her boyfriend, Kevin Kuwick, an assistant basketball coach at Butler University, The Buffalo News reported.

Maurer, who grew up in Sinking Spring, Pa., was a champion swimmer at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., where she graduated in 2001. She received a master's degree from the University of Florida.

She had worked at Princeton since 2005.
___

Coleman Mellett

An accomplished jazz guitarist, Mellett was a touring member of trumpeter Chuck Mangione's band for the last several years. The group was scheduled to perform Friday night at the Kleinhans Music Hall with the Buffalo Philharmonic.

Mellett grew up near Washington, D.C., and moved to New Jersey to study at William Paterson University, according to his MySpace profile. After graduating he moved to New York and earned a master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music in 1998.

Mellett, 33, lived in East Brunswick, N.J., with his wife, singer Jeanie Bryson, according to the Star-Ledger of Newark.
___

Gerry Niewood

Gerry Niewood was a childhood friend of trumpeter Chuck Mangione and had been making music with him since the two were children. He lived in Glen Ridge, N.J., and played saxophone, clarinet and flute for some of the biggest names in pop music, according to his MySpace profile.

He was flying to Buffalo for a performance with Mangione's band.

Niewood once said he learned jazz improvisation on his own.

"I listened to jazz records and mentally transcribed them. Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane," he told City Newspaper, a Rochester, N.Y., weekly in 2006.

In addition to Mangione, Niewood backed artists as diverse as Peggy Lee, Simon and Garfunkel, Judy Collins, Frank Sinatra and Sinead O'Connor, among others. He also played on the soundtracks of movies including "A Bronx Tale," ''When Harry Met Sally" and "King of Comedy."
___

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 03:24 PM

Mary Pettys

Pettys, 50, of West Seneca, N.Y, was traveling home after a business trip for her job as a software director for an insurance firm.

Her fiance, William Adamski, said she last called around 6 p.m. Thursday to ask about the weather in the Buffalo area. He said that he tried to reach her cell phone several times, but it always went to voice mail. He heard from her company around 3:30 a.m. that her plane had crashed.

Adamski said his fiance loved to hike and play slot machines. "She was a woman of chance," he said.

The couple were engaged in December and had been planning a spring wedding.

A Canisius College graduate, Pettys had nine siblings.
___

Marvin Renslow

Renslow, the plane's pilot, lived in the Tampa suburb of Lutz, Fla., and grew up in southwestern Iowa.

Renslow, 47, joined Colgan Air, the company operating the flight, in September 2005 and had flown 3,379 hours with the airline.

Jeff Hiser, who went to school with Renslow in Shenandoah, Iowa, and is now the activities director at Shenandoah High School, said Renslow graduated from high school in 1979 and left Iowa to pursue his goal of becoming a pilot.

He remembered Renslow as outgoing, involved in the fine arts and an excellent drummer.

Renslow's family is "very proud of Marvin's accomplishments as a pilot," said Alan Burner, associate pastor of the First Baptist Church of Lutz. "They know that he did everything that he could to save as many lives as he could, even in the accident. Marvin loved to fly. He was doing what he loved to do. He was living his dream."

Neighbors said Renslow had two children in elementary school.
___

Jean Srnecz

Srnecz, 59, was a senior vice president of merchandising for Charlotte, N.C.-based Baker & Taylor, a wholesale distributor of books and entertainment products.

She joined the company in 1975 and served on the boards of the Book Industry Study Group and Educational Paperback Association.

Srnecz, who lived in Clinton, N.J., and worked in Bridgewater, N.J., was headed to the Buffalo area for a visit with family members.

"I worked alongside Jean for 30 years and there was no one more knowledgeable or respected, as a professional and a person," Baker and Taylor President Arnie Wight said in a statement. "Jean truly loved this business and was loved by many it. She will be sorely missed."

Srnecz graduated from D'Youville College in Buffalo and received a master's degree in political science from SUNY-Buffalo. She also earned a master's of business administration in finance from New York University.
___

Rebecca Shaw

Shaw, the flight's first officer, had a passion for aviation and decided in her senior year in high school that she wanted to fly. Shaw, 24, of Maple Valley, Wash., in the Seattle suburbs, joined the commuter airline in January 2008 and had flown 2,244 hours with the carrier.

"She absolutely loved to fly," said her mother, Lyn Morris.

Shaw graduated in 2002 from Tahoma High School, where she was active in volleyball, softball and student leadership, district spokesman Kevin Patterson said. She attended Big Bend Community College before transferring to Central Washington University in Ellensburg. She graduated in 2007 with a degree in flight technology, university spokeswoman Teri Olin said.

"As a woman in aviation, you have to be really sure of what you're doing and to be out there giving it everything — and Becca certainly did that," said Amy Hoover, chair of Central Washington's aviation department.

Shaw leaves behind a husband, Troy.
___

Susan Wehle

Wehle, 55, had been cantor at Temple Beth Am in Williamsville, N.Y., since November of 2002 and went well beyond her duties of singing religious songs there, said David Berghash, the temple's president.

She also paid sick visits to hospital patients and worked to get other faiths involved in the region's religious community, he said.

Berghash said she was "loved by every congregant here and she will be sorely missed."

Before Temple Beth Am, Wehle was the cantorial soloist at Temple Sinai in nearby Amherst for 9½ years. She taught musical and spiritual workshops, conducted youth and adult choirs and performed in concerts in the United States, Canada and Israel.

Wehle lived in Amherst. She is survived by her two sons, Jacob and Jonah Mink. Jacob is currently in Vermont and Jonah is in Israel, Berghash said.
___

Clay Yarber

Yarber served in Vietnam, but never liked flying, said his ex-wife Shari Ingram, of Largo, Fla.

"He didn't even like being on helicopters when he was in the Marine Corps," Ingram said.

Yarber, 62, was originally from Dayton, Ohio, and became a musician after the war, Ingram said. He played the guitar and sang and had several bands. His favorite type of music was rhythm and blues.

He lived in the Tampa Bay area for several decades, but recently moved to Riverside, Calif., to live with his son, Ingram said.

He was headed to Buffalo spend time with a friend. Ingram said she spoke with a family friend that received confirmation from Continental Airlines that he was on the flight.

Yarber had four biological children, three daughters and a son, as well as an adopted daughter.
___

Joseph Zuffoletto

Zuffoletto, a Colgan Air pilot who had apartments in Newark and Jamestown, N.Y., was an off-duty crew member aboard the plane.

He loved flying from an early age and earned his private pilot's license at 17. He also spent spare time at the Chautaqua County-Jamestown Airport, even when he wasn't flying.

"We had a small restaurant here at the airport that was understaffed," Dave Sanctuary, the airport manager, told the Post-Journal of Jamestown, N.Y. "He would come in many times when he was not on duty flying and would volunteer cooking at the restaurant. He was very kind, very professional, very likable."

One reason he always returned to Jamestown was that his grandmother lives in nearby Buffalo.

He graduated from University of San Diego High School in California in 1999 and earned an aviation degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The names have been provided by airline officials, relatives or friends.

http://news.aol.com/article/buffalo-plane-crash-victims/342487?icid=200100397x1219026179x1201253585

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 03:26 PM

Wreckage, remains being gathered at NY crash site
By CAROLYN THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer Carolyn Thompson, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 15 mins ago

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Investigators began gathering pieces of the incinerated wreckage of a commuter airliner early Saturday in search of clues to the cause of the fiery crash that killed 50 people.

Workers also had begun the somber task of removing the remains of the victims from the crash site — a suburban house.

Recovery could take several days, said Steve Chealander, spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board. "We're very sensitive to the families," he said.

Investigators have been examining instrument data and have listened to the last words of the pilot and co-pilot of Flight 3407 in an effort to determine whether ice on the plane's wings caused the crash.

Officials say the crew of the Continental Connection flight remarked upon significant ice buildup on the wings and windshield shortly before the aircraft pitched violently and slammed into the house Thursday night.

Ice on the wings can interfere catastrophically with an aircraft's handling and has been blamed for a number of major air disasters over the years, but officials said they had drawn no conclusions as to the cause of this crash.

Chealander said early Saturday that the icing noted by the pilot of Flight 3407 is just one of several things investigators are looking at.

Investigators will probably stay in Buffalo for another week before shipping plane parts for study, with a full report not likely for another year, Chealander said.

The NTSB has been pressing for more regulations to improve deicing, he said.

"We don't like the progress that's taken place right now," Chealander said. "It's something that requires constant focus."

The NTSB had made recommendations "for several years," he said.

The aircraft, bound to Buffalo from Newark, N.J., went down in light snow and mist — ideal icing conditions — about six miles short of the Buffalo airport, plunging nose-first through the roof of the house in the suburb of Clarence.

All 44 passengers, four crew members, an off-duty pilot and one person on the ground were killed. Two others escaped from the home, which was engulfed in a fireball that burned for hours, making it too hot to begin removing the bodies until around nightfall Friday.

Families of the victims remained secluded in a hotel Saturday, and police turned reporters away.

Investigators pulled the "black box" flight recorders from the incinerated wreckage, sent them to Washington and immediately began analyzing the data. The full analysis will take weeks, Chealander said.

It was the nation's first deadly crash of a commercial airliner in 2 1/2 years.

One of the survivors from the house, Karen Wielinski, 57, told WBEN-AM that she was watching TV when she heard a noise. She said her daughter, 22-year-old Jill, who also survived, was watching TV elsewhere in the house.

"When the ceiling first fell down, I think the first thing I said to myself was, 'Is this real? Is this reality? Was I dreaming something?'" she told the station. "I didn't think I was going to get out of there. I thought, this is it."

She escaped with only a fractured collar bone, while her daughter suffered scratches to her feet.

Her husband, Doug, had gone up to bed and was in the middle of the house, where the plane hit.

"He was a good person, loved his family," Wielinski said.

Among the passengers killed was a woman whose husband died in the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11; one of the world's leading experts on the Rwandan genocide; and two musicians who played with trumpeter Chuck Mangione.

Chealander said Friday that the crew of the twin-engine turboprop discussed ice buildup on the windshield and the leading edge of the wings at an altitude of around 11,000 feet as the plane was descending for a landing.

The flight data recorder indicated the plane's deicing equipment was in the "on" position, but Chealander would not say whether the equipment was functioning.

The landing gear was lowered one minute before the end of the flight at an altitude of more than 2,000 feet, and 20 seconds later the wing flaps were set to slow the plane down, after which the aircraft went through "severe pitch and roll," Chealander said.

The crew raised the landing gear at the last moment, just before the recording ran out. No mayday call came from the pilot.

"Icing, if a significant buildup, is an aerodynamic impediment, if you will," Chealander said. "Airplanes are built with wings that are shaped a certain way. If you have too much ice, the shape of the wing can change requiring different airspeeds."

But he refused to draw any conclusions from the data, and cautioned: "We are not ruling anything in or anything out at this time."

Witnesses heard the plane sputtering before it plunged through the roof of the house.

"I saw a glow in the sky and I ran to get my husband," said Michelle Winer, 46. "He thought I was crazy, and then there was a huge explosion. You heard it and felt it."

After the crash, at least two pilots were heard on air traffic control circuits saying they had been picking up ice on their wings.

The 74-seat Q400 Bombardier aircraft, in the Dash 8 family of planes, was operated by Colgan Air, based in Manassas, Va. Colgan's parent company, Pinnacle Airlines of Memphis, Tenn., said the plane was new and had a clean safety record.

The pilot, Capt. Marvin Renslow, had been with the airline for nearly 3 1/2 years and had more than 3,000 hours of flying experience with Colgan, which is nearly the maximum a pilot can fly over that period of time under government regulations.

The last fatal U.S. crash of a commercial airliner was on Aug. 27, 2006, when a Comair airliner took off from a runway in Lexington, Ky., that was too short. The crash killed 49 people.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers John Wawrow, Ramit Plushnick-Masti and Larry Neumeister in Clarence, and Cristian Salazar, Jennifer Peltz and the AP News Research Center in New York.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090214/ap_on_re_us/plane_into_home

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 04:17 PM

Clarence man charged with DWI near crash site
02/14/09 10:47 AM

A 51-year-old Clarence man who drove up to a checkpoint near the crash site of Continental flight 3407 Friday was arrested after an Erie County sheriff's deputy noticed that he appeared to be drunk, officials said.

Donald L. Krawczyk of Brookside Drive apparently drove up to the checkpoint at the intersection of Roll Road and Goodrich Road. Deputy Gene Nati noted that Krawczyk "showed signs of intoxications as he spoke with the deputy," a sheriff's office statement read.

Krawczyk allegedly failed several field sobriety field tests and was arrested for driving while intoxicated. His blood alcohol content was 0.14 percent, nearly twice the legal limit, officials said.

He was released to a third party on a traffic summons pending arraignment in Clarence Town Court at a later date.

http://www.buffalonews.com/437/story/579485.html

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 04:22 PM

Investigators comb site of Flight 3407's impact for clues to fatal crash
Investigators will spend next several days thoroughly searching for remains and clues to cause of tragedy

By Lou Michel, Dan Herbeck and T.J. Pignataro
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS
Updated: 02/14/09 12:36 PM

Forensic anthropologists and aviation experts are walking grids in Clarence Center, where Continental Express Flight 3407 went down, trying to determine what caused the craft to take a horrific vertical dive.

It’s grim work.

Each spot where human remains, pieces of the aircraft and personal effects are recovered will be specially marked with a flag and then electronically recorded in each grid, so that investigators can find out exactly how the craft ended up in a fiery crash, killing 50 people, including one man on the ground.

Did it directly hit the Long Street house destroyed in the crash?

Did it hit both the house and the lot surrounding it?

Or — perhaps the most frequently asked question — did icing on the wings cause the crash?

Those are some of the questions investigators want to answer.

The human remains will be taken to the Erie County medical examiner, where extra capacity has been added with a temporary morgue set up inside a refrigerated trailer.

Investigators at the medical examiner’s Buffalo office will attempt to identify the individuals lost in the flight. In some cases, DNA testing will play a significant role, authorities said.

“In some cases, we’ll need to use DNA [to identify victims], in some cases, maybe we won’t,” said Dr. Anthony J. Billittier IV, Erie County’s health commissioner, who visited the site Friday afternoon.

Authorities said late Friday that the actual DNA analysis would be performed by the Armed Forces Pathology Laboratory in Washington, D.C.

Physical evidence such as parts of the plane will be examined by National Transportation Safety Board investigators and FBI agents.

And as early as next week, law enforcement may be able to say whether criminal activity or terrorism was involved in the Thursday night crash, according to Laurie J. Bennett, special agent in charge of the Buffalo FBI office.

She says at this point it does not appear to be anything more than a tragic accident, though more evidence is needed to rule out any type of foul play.

Of those lost on the flight, Bennett said:

“FBI agents, NTSB personnel and all our law enforcement partners will treat the scene with much respect and care, ensuring that the proper dignity is provided to the victims of this tragic crash when collecting the human remains.”

Bennett also said that special care will be taken in retrieving as many personal effects of the victims as possible, to be eventually returned to their loved ones.

“That’s being done in the hopes that the families can obtain closure in the many months and years ahead,” she said.

Unlike other commercial plane crashes, Bennett said, the debris field in this one is tiny by comparison. It takes up the house and property lot of the Long Street residence.

But that does not mean the search for evidence will be any less thorough.

Working with investigators at the scene is a special team of forensic anthropologists from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., which includes two professors and several trained students.

“Essentially the process is cordoning off grids and in each grid identifying any victims. It’s not clear how long it will take, we’ve just started doing it,” Billittier said.

Billittier said officials understand the wishes of victims’ families to visit the crash site, and the challenge is conducting a thorough investigation expeditiously. He noted there are multiple investigations occurring on-site simultaneously.

“We’re conducting a medical and legal investigation; the NTSB is conducting the mechanical investigation, and law enforcement is conducting a criminal investigation,” Billittier said. “The on-scene recovery of remains takes a few days. It’s a matter of days, not hours.”

He said as many as 75 people were sifting through the debris for remains in an effort to find all of the human remains, proceed with DNA analysis and confirm victims’ identification.

“The success or failure of this, I believe, will be judged by how much comfort we bring to the families,” Billittier said.

Erie County Executive Chris Collins, who was at the crash scene late Thursday night and flew over it at 9 a. m. Friday, explained that the teams will walk in grid lanes with as many as 20 individuals scouring each path for evidence.

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 04:23 PM

“These are professionals,” he said. Investigators will take data from the grids and create a computer model of the crash scene that they will be able to refer to as the investigation progresses.

Collins, who lives two miles from Long Street, said it was impossible to see sections of the aircraft in the blaze Thursday night from the road.

“I was taken behind the house and the only part of the plane I could see was the tail,” he said.

In emphasizing just how contained the crash site was, Collins said, “The garage was right behind the house and it was intact. Only one other house, next door, received collateral damage from flames.”

It has been estimated that it may take a week, if not more, to complete the collection of evidence from the site, law enforcement officials said.

In the meantime, aviation experts say they expect the NTSB will soon start providing hints about the cause of the crash.

“Once they get radar data, weather data and information from the flight recorders, they will start piecing things together,” said Peter Goelz, who has supervised the investigations of several major aircraft disasters. “As they recover pieces of the plane, they will look at it and start eliminating possibilities.

“Are all the engines still there? Were they still making power when the plane crashed? Were the flaps, the elevators and everything else working as they should be? You look at every option, and then you eliminate [possible causes], one by one.”

Goelz, who served as managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board from 1995 until 2000, stressed Friday that while it is too soon to pinpoint the cause, most signs — including weather conditions and the way the plane suddenly plummeted to the ground — seem to point to ice on the wings.

“The suddenness of the [descent] makes you suspicious of icing as the cause,” Goelz said. “One minute, you have a plane flying smooth and level at 2,300 feet. The next minute, it’s on the ground.”

That kind of sudden crash can be caused by ice on the wings, he said. “It’s also significant that the next two planes that came in to Buffalo reported icing problems.”

Now working as a consultant to aviation companies, Goelz said the Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 turboprop plane model that crashed gets heavy use from commuter aviation companies and never before has had a fatal crash in the United States.

“It is considered a fine aircraft. It’s very quick, almost as fast as a regional jet, but much cheaper to fly,” Goelz said of the Bombardier.

Such planes do have de-icing systems on them, but the de-icing system has to be activated by the pilot. Goelz said it would be highly unlikely that the veteran pilots of Flight 3407 would have failed to do so, especially considering Thursday night’s weather.

“Certainly this plane was certified to fly in this kind of weather. If the deicing system was working, it should have been able to handle the weather,” Goelz said. “That’s why there is an air of mystery to this tragedy.”

Buffalo attorney Paul J. Cambria, whose law firm has represented a number of air crash victims, predicted that there could be numerous lawsuits filed by victims’ families if icing is found to be the cause of the disaster.

“It could be that something went wrong with the de-icing equipment, or there was pilot error, or both,” Cambria said. “Either way, it’s a horrible tragedy. Either way, the passengers had a right to assume that the plane was in good working order, and that the weather conditions were thoroughly checked before the plane took off.”

lmichel@buffnews.com dherbeck@buffnews.com and tpignataro@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/579277.html

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 04:25 PM

Crash neighborhood remains tightly restricted
By Brian Meyer
News Staff Reporter
Updated: 02/14/09 02:13 PM

Steps are being taken to let families who were evacuated near the site of Thursday night's plane crash into their homes so they can recover personal belongings, medications and other items.

As investigators continued their tedious mission at the crash site, David Bissonette, Clarence's emergency services coordinator, met with other government officials late this morning at Erie County's command center in Cheektowaga.

About a dozen properties were evacuated near the Long Street crash site immediately after the tragedy occurred. It will be at least a couple more days before they're allowed to permanently return.

"They are being very patient and understanding," Bissonette said of the residents of who were evacuated.

Residents are being escorted into the neighborhood by Erie County sheriff's deputies, but they have to make appointments to do so, he said.

Meanwhile, many other residents have raised questions about public safety, including environmental issues.

"We did preliminary looks at groundwater runoff and air quality. We do not have any exposures outside of the norm at this point," he said.

He encouraged residents who have any questions to call town officials at 741-8930.

Bissonette also met this morning with state and county officials to discuss resources and manpower issues.

"We're trying to keep [town] services intact," he said, noting that Clarence's fire resources have been strained in recent days.

Town officials have noted a growing number of "curiosity seekers" coming into the area. Bissonette warned people that a limited state of emergency remains in effect, and that travel is restricted in a two-square-mile area.

People have been obeying police security lines, said Bissonette. But those who don't will face consequences.

"If they challenge the secure zone, they will be arrested. This is a serious thing. It's an investigation."

Rep. Louise Slaughter visited the command center in Cheektowaga where dozens of emergency services officials continue to oversee the massive response effort. She toured the facility and met with numerous officials, including County Executive Chris Collins.

Slaughter wouldn't disclose whether she planned on meeting with any families of the crash victims, citing the importance of protecting their privacy. But she said her visit to the command center affirmed her belief that emergency responders across the state do "extraordinary work."

"They really put their lives at risk to save ours," Slaughter told reporters. "I wanted to be here today to express my great pride in what they do and to certainly offer them any help."

Slaughter was joined by Collins, who has been involved in the response effort since moments after Thursday night's crash. Collins lives in Clarence, only a couple miles from where Flight 3407 met its tragic end.

Collins has been in close contact with Erie County Health Commissioner Anthony J. Billittier IV, who has been at the crash site.

"Right now, the focus is on removing the remains," Collins said during a briefing at the Cheektowaga command center. "Dr. Billittier is leading that effort. It is a very methodical effort that is going to be completed as soon as we can." The state Emergency Management Office has been helping to coordinate an effort that has involved more than 50 local, state and federal agencies. Hundreds of people are taking part in various phases of response mission, said William Clark, regional director of the Emergency Management Office.

"We've mobilized people from around the state to come in help us," said Clark.

For example, state health experts, fire prevention authorities and grief counselors from the state Office of Mental Health have been involved in response efforts. State environmental experts are also in the region to work with other levels of government to address various concerns.

bmeyer@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/579536.html

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 04:30 PM

EDITORIALS
Dealing with a tragedy
Crash of Flight 3407 touches us all, support for families must continue

Updated: 02/14/09 9:28 AM

The ER nurse, speaking in the age-old parlance of pilots and ship captains, said her hospital had no role to play in the aftermath of Thursday’s crash of Flight 3407 because, “There were no souls to bring in and treat.”

But, of course, there are.

All of the passengers and crew onboard the Continental Express aircraft died, as did one person in the home where the plane fell in Clarence Center. Only two others who were at the crash site needed medical attention. So there was nothing the skilled trauma center professionals at Erie County Medical Center could contribute.

But, in the wake of such a tragedy, in which 50 people are, without warning, taken away from their families and friends, the entire community becomes a sort of trauma center.

And that’s the heart of this tragedy, the heart of all the articles in this newspaper. For this is not just an airliner crash story. It’s a human story.

And the response needs to be human, especially now that the first practical response is over. In the first minutes and hours after the event, it does appear that the Buffalo community has responded well. As we should have known it would.

The people we count on to respond to such events were on the scene immediately. They included fire crews, volunteers and professional, federal, state and local law enforcement officers and emergency preparedness officials. Two planeloads of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived early Friday.

People who work for the airline and for Buffalo Niagara International Airport offered assistance to those seeking word of their loved ones, even as it quickly became apparent that the word was not good. They, too, appear to have done that as well as could be expected, although there has been little word yet — understandably — from the families.

Elected leaders, such as County Executive Chris Collins and Town of Clarence Supervisor Scott A. Bylewski, quickly appeared and, through the long night, took their proper roles — explaining, reassuring and sympathizing.Gov. David
A. Paterson arrived Friday morning to offer what comfort he could.

Those in positions of authority have clearly defined roles. Put out the fire. Secure the area. Help those displaced by the evacuation of the neighborhood and return them to their homes. Investigate the cause of the crash and put in place any mechanical, procedural or legal changes that might help prevent a similar tragedy in the future.

That’s hard work. But it’s also the easy part. More difficult, and with no defined end, will be the job of those whose spouses, children, parents, friends and colleagues were supposed to come home Thursday, but did not.

For most passengers, the end of a commuter flight as a weekend approaches means home. Home from a vacation or a business trip or, for those who have moved away, are off at school or have family and memories here, home for a visit.

Thus it was to be expected that many of the names on the passenger manifest came with Buffalo addresses, or had other deep connections here. May those connections provide some comfort to the family and friends of the victims, even among people who were strangers before, as they come to terms with their losses.

The early hours of the response were conducted with due regard for the public’s right to know. We trust that will continue to be the case. It will help those directly touched and those just concerned to understand what happened and what can be done to see that it does not happen again.

The mourning, though, will be done in ways both public and private. It will come without the relief and joy that followed the amazing survival of all those whose airplane ditched in the Hudson River some weeks ago.

The entire Buffalo community today extends its deeply felt sympathy to those who lost loved ones on Flight 3407. Knowing this community, it is a feeling that will last more than a day, or a few news cycles. It will last for as long as it takes.

http://www.buffalonews.com/149/story/579258.html

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 04:36 PM

Channel 4 News does the best job covering Flight 3407 tragedy
02/14/09 06:34 AM
By Alan Pergament
NEWS TV CRITIC

It quickly became apparent Thursday night that the most interesting place to go for local TV coverage of the tragic crash of Flight 3407 was Channel 4 News.

WIVB-TV’s news team provided some of the best, emotional work Thursday night and Friday morning.

Much of Channel 4’s work was so good that you could almost forgive it for airing some of the worst speculation about the cause of the crash and for erroneously reporting that no one in the house where the plane crashed was injured.

Despite its relative shorter staff, Channel 7 did a decent job, too.

The most disappointing coverage came from Channel 2, which heavily relied on phone interviews with witnesses and video from the Internet site, Skype.

Channel 2 tried to recover Friday by staying on for hours to cover the continuing story and provide an outlet for grief.

It is tragic times like this that local TV reports the news and also serves as a communal gathering place for people to deal with their emotions.

Channel 4 reporter Lisa Flynn did one of the first emotional stories Thursday night, interviewing a man, Chris Kausner, who realized his 24- year-old sister, Ellyce was on the flight. Flynn appeared to be holding back tears after she said that Kausner had to tell his young boys what had happened to their aunt.

The magnitude of the crash wasn’t apparent at first Thursday night as there had been reports that it was a small plane that crashed, which suggested a limited numbers of passengers rather than the 49 aboard on a commercial airliner.

When County Executive Chris Collins and other local officials had their news conference after midnight, much of the erroneous speculation was cleared up.

Before that, the stations were bound to speculate. Channel 7 anchor Keith Radford, who is an expert on aviation, used his expertise to speculate on several details about the plane, some of them interesting. Radford also noted that the plane crash was the first one in Buffalo of this magnitude.

“This is so foreign to us,” said Radford. “This is the first time there has been any major airline crash in Buffalo. Many times I’ve thought about how fortunate we’ve been.”

Channel 7 was the first to leave local coverage Friday morning, which enabled ABC’s “Good Morning America” to be the only broadcast network program seen here.

The national perspective was welcome since local coverage was becoming so repetitive. “GMA” reporter Chris Cuomo had an interview with Chris Kausner and another sister, Laura, about the death of their sister, Ellyce.

The CBS coverage, reported by Western New York native Jeff Glor, didn’t air on Channel

4. Glor, who this week was named the new Saturday anchor of the CBS Evening News, will anchor from here tonight on his first newscast in his new role.

The newscast airs on WNLO-Channel 23. Naturally, the cable news channels were also on the national story, with CNN covering it for hours.

And as details came in about some of the prominent people who were on the flight, you can be sure that local and national TV will be extensively reporting on all the heartbreaking stories about the victims and their families this weekend.

apergament@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/579306.html

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 04:39 PM

Donn Esmonde: A prayer for our community
Updated: 02/14/09 07:45 AM
By Donn Esmonde
News Columnist

How does a community wrap its arms around itself? Continental Connection Flight 3407. Newark to Buffalo. The name and number are forever set in the fixed concrete of history, in the frozen pain in our souls.

In a gruesome fireball, a plane filled with our neighbors is down. A house in Clarence is obliterated. Fifty people are dead. Fifty people, many of whom walked the same streets we do, shopped at the same stores, sent their kids to the same schools.

As the days pass, we will learn their names and we will hear about their lives. But there is a larger truth that, in a sense, will frame every one of those details: We are them, and they are us.

Buffalo is a city in name, a small town at heart. Most of the people on this plane were, to a lot of us, a friend, a co-worker, or a neighbor.

Those of us who are more than a few degrees of separation from the victims still are connected to them by our shared hopes and dreams for this community. We all want to see Buffalo someday rise out of the economic mire. We all know the meaning, in all of its layers, of Wide Right.

Flight 3407. It is too much loss to fathom. It is too much pain to comprehend. It is too much grief to bear.

If this had been a small plane, if this had been a few deaths instead of 50, the tragedy still would have been front-page news. Increase that hypothetical loss exponentially, multiply the grief, factor in the agony of the victims’ loved ones, and it adds up to something unfathomable.

It is too much to digest. It is too large to wrap our arms of comprehension around.

We hear details of ice on the plane’s wings and wing flaps shifted for descent and landing gear lowered — and then a sudden pitch and roll. It will be weeks before the cause of the crash is determined. But the possibility that a simple, weather-related mechanical malfunction — of cables frozen or controls unresponsive or de-icers inoperative — caused the obliteration of this much life is surreal. The flesh-and-blood consequence seems too monumental to chalk up to malfunctioning cables or ineffectual fluids or a coating of ice.

One official who got close to the crash scene told me he saw airline seats scattered in the debris, and human limbs. Hours later, he seemed stunned, almost disbelieving.

We are stunned as a community. The cumulative loss has taken a piece of our collective heart. For many, the pain is personal. Hundreds of mourners filled the pews for Friday’s prayer service at Clarence’s Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church. Among those seeking solace in shared grief was Michele Potter.

She and Doug Wielinski worked together at the old Outokumpu American Brass factory. Flight 3407 landed on Wielinski’s house. His wife, Karen, and daughter, Jill — in one of the tragedy’s small miracles — somehow got out. Doug did not.

Michele Potter wiped tears as she talked about the man who collected sports memorabilia, loved antique furniture and spoke at high school assemblies about his service in Vietnam. When the elderly woman across the street needed something fixed at her house, Doug Wielinski grabbed his tool box.

“He was that kind of guy,” said Potter, hunching her shoulders against the cold in the church parking lot. “He was just full of information, such an interesting person . . . I just feel helpless. You can’t do anything but pray.”

That is how this feels. This is what this disaster is about. Take Doug Wielinski, absorb his life and death, and multiply by 50.

It is too much pain to process. It is too much grief to fathom. It is too much hurt to heal. It is beyond us. It is part of us.

One and the same. Now, and forever. Amen.

desmonde@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/579302.html

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 04:43 PM

Couple’s last communication was filled with hope
Updated: 02/14/09 12:14 PM

It had been a playful texting between boyfriend and girlfriend — she on a plane, he in a sports bar — about weddings and relatives and flight times gone by.

Lorin Maurer, 30, and Kevin Kuwik, 34, had met 10 months ago, but theirs was some connection, and the wedding they would attend to day could mean so much more.

She boarded the plane at 7:45 p. m., and their texting went as follows:

Maurer: “You’re allowed to give [your brother] my number. I told him so. He is getting married.”

Kuwik: “Hell no.”

Maurer: “You e-mail with my Dad. What’s the difference?”

Kuwik: “Your dad is not malicious.”

Maurer: “Just sat on the plane, and your brother wouldn’t be mean to me.”

Kuwik: “Ha! You’ll see.”

Maurer: “Just now closing the main door.” (7:43 p.m.)

Maurer: “Engine isn’t even on. Just sitting here. ... Good thing they boarded us.” (7:58)

A call from Maurer would follow: “We’re 25th for takeoff and will be delayed 45 more minutes.” (Call interrupted by flight attendant, who told her to turn off the phone)

“She hung up and that was the last I talked to her,” said Kuwik, who would follow up with these texts:

Kuwik: “Have they said anything?” (8:02 p. m.)

Kuwik: “Bueller, Bueller, anything?”

When Kuwik arrived at the airport, the monitor showed a 10:15 p. m. arrival time. The plan was to pick Maurer up, and then drive over to Bullfeather’s restaurant, a fitting way to greet Buffalo.

The time changed to 10:17, then 10:19. When the monitor indicated the plane had landed, the relief that washed over Kuwik was replaced by concern.

“Usually when she landed, she’d text or call,” he said. “I called her a few times. I texted her at 10:25: “Did you land?”

At 10:45, Flight 3407 vanished from the board.

— Jane Kwiatkowski

•••

Karen Wielinski, whose husband, Douglas, was killed when Flight 3407 crashed into their home, said she was watching TV on her couch when she heard a strange noise. “Planes do go over our house, but this just sounded very different,” she told WBEN Radio. “The next thing I knew, the ceiling was on me.”

Wielinski, 53, didn’t know what was going on, but she ended up finding an escape route. When she got outside, she saw that “the back of the house was gone. The fire had started, I could see the wings of the plane.”

She also could see that the plane “went through the middle of the house. Unfortunately, that’s where Doug was,” she told WBEN.

Her daughter, Jill, 22, who had been watching TV upstairs, also escaped.

Both women were treated and released at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital.

•••

The Clarence community rallied around the Wielinski family, who owned the Long Street home destroyed in the crash of Flight 3407. Douglas Wielinski died in the crash, but his wife, Karen, and daughter, Jill, 22, managed to escape the burning house.

“Everybody’s calling to see if they can bring some things,” said Erica Eichelkraut, a friend of the family.

Cards or condolences can be sent to the Wielinski family at the Clarence Post Office, General Delivery, 9845 Main St., Clarence, NY 14031.

Checks may be made out to Karen Wielinski.

“Nobody can seem to grasp the reality,” Eichelkraut said.

•••

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 04:44 PM

Clarence Central Schools will offer counseling to students who request it, Superintendent Thomas Coseo said.

Schools were closed Friday because of the emergency, and students will be off next week for the winter break.

But if parents need help explaining the tragedy to their children, they can call the district office at 407-9102. If calling over the weekend or on President’s Day on Monday, call 759-7775.

“Particularly parents of elementary children, if they need assistance, we have professional people who are willing to help out,” Coseo said.

The district also posted a message to the community on its Web site, www.clarenceschools.org . It notes that many parents of district children are volunteer firefighters who responded to the crash. The superintendent said the district will address the crash, particularly with pupils at Clarence Center Elementary School, when they return to school Feb. 23.

“We’ll address the tragedy,” he said. “We don’t want to over-emphasize or underestimate the response.”

•••

Journalists weren’t the only ones who told the world about the tragic saga of Flight 3407. The disaster graphically demonstrated the emerging trend of citizen journalism.

Anthony Trigilio, a 19-year-old Clarence resident, became an international media star — at least for several hours — after posting powerful footage from the crash site on YouTube. A short time later he started receiving dozens of calls and messages from media organizations.

“I think everyone on the planet called me,” said Trigilio. “A lot of national and international [media outlets].”

Still, Trigilio said he doesn’t consider himself an armchair journalist. He said he only posted the footage to let his friends know about the horrifying events that were playing out in his hometown.

•••

The House of Representatives on Friday afternoon held a moment of silence to honor the victims of Flight 3407.

Lawmakers who were gathered to pass President Obama’s fiscal stimulus bill stood in silence for about a minute at about 2:30.

While the congressman who represents the area of the crash — Rep. Chris Lee, R-Clarence— traveled to the scene of the accident, his two Buffaloarea colleagues took to the floor of the House just before the moment of silence to mark the tragedy.

“I know that the whole House joins . . . in offering our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed in this tragic event, and to offer a tremendous gratitude to the firefighters, emergency personnel and the other first responders who bravely worked through the night and are still working today to deal with this accident,” said Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo.

“We suffered a terrible blow in Western New York. My heart breaks for upstate New York,” said Rep. Louise

M. Slaughter, D-Fairport. “The first responders and all the citizens of Western New York have rushed to help, and all the officials in Washington and all the local officials will do all we can to ease the pain.”

•••

Gov. David A. Paterson Friday afternoon issued an executive order declaring a state disaster emergency in Erie County, formally releasing state resources to help local agencies. Citing the “hardships continuing to affect the people of the Town of Clarence,” the order also gives residents of the town until Feb. 24 to pay their local property tax bills without interest or penalties.

•••

Spot Coffee is donating all the money it collects from sales between noon and 2 p. m. today and during the same hours next Saturday at its two Buffalo locations to any memorial fund set up for the plane crash victims. If no fund is established, the money will go to the Red Cross.

“We want to kick it off,” said Richard Gress, CEO of Spot Coffee Buffalo. “Hopefully this will inspire other companies to get involved. It’s a tight community, and this tragic event happened right in our backyard.”

The coffee shops are at 227 Delaware Ave., at Chippewa Street, and at 765 Elmwood Ave., at Cleveland Avenue.

•••

The crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 even had an effect on the American International College men’s hockey team, according to Canisius College spokesman Jason Veniskey.

National Transportation Safety Board officials asked Yellow Jackets coach Gary Wright early Friday morning if his club could switch hotels so that Hotel Indigo could be used to accommodate the family members of crash victims. American International, which started a two-game weekend series with Canisius on Friday night in the Amherst Pepsi Center, complied with the request — packing up prior to the team’s game-day skate and later checking into an area Holiday Inn.

citydesk@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/579318.html

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 04:46 PM

Local Irish dancers have narrow escape
Group’s decision to take earlier Newark flight is a life saver
By Fletcher Doyle NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Two young Irish dancing champions and their chaperones were supposed to be on Continental Connection Flight 3407 from Newark to Buffalo on Thursday night.

Luckily, they caught an earlier flight instead.

That is what is dominating the thoughts of Mary Kay Heneghan, of Orchard Park, in the wake of the horrific crash of Flight 3407 in Clarence Center.

Heneghan, owner of Rince Na Tierna School of Irish Dance, was returning from Ireland with Tracy Dargan and Dargan’s daughters, 12-year-old Fiona and 14-year-old Kevinah. Heneghan’s mother, Mary, also went on the trip.

She had taken the girls to Killarney to compete in the All Ireland Dance Championships. Fiona finished second in the girls 12-under age group and Kevinah sixth in the 15-unders.

They left Shannon Airport at 9 a. m. Thursday — 4 a. m. EST — on a flight that was supposed to take six hours and 45 minutes; they were on the ground, Heneghan estimates, at about 9:30 a. m., or 75 to 90 minutes early.

Heneghan said she always books long layovers for her frequent flights to Ireland so she, her dancers and her mother, who walks with a cane, don’t have to rush to the gate in the not unusual event of a flight delay.

Their ticketed connection, Flight 3407, wasn’t scheduled to leave Newark until 7:10 p. m. so their early arrival made this layover more than nine hours.

When Heneghan asked Continental to put her group on one of the three earlier connections heading to Buffalo in the late morning or afternoon, she was told the change would cost $50 per person. At first the group decided to get lunch and hang out but shortly thereafter, when flights to Buffalo and Rochester began to be canceled, Mrs. Dargan insisted they leave early. She had to be back Friday to her job as a school nurse in Williamsville and didn’t want to take a chance that 3407, the last flight to Buffalo, wouldn’t take off.

The airline, concerned about the growing number of stranded passengers, waived the $50 fee and put them on a 2:40 p. m. flight but warned their baggage might not make it.

As they waited at the gate for the plane to pull away, Fiona spotted her and her sister’s polka dot suitcases.

“She said ‘There’s our luggage’ and I said we were lucking out,” Heneghan said. “I had no idea how lucky we were.”

Even though their plane was larger than the one used in Flight 3407, “The takeoff was awful, I thought the wing was going to touch the ground,” Heneghan said. The rest of the flight, though delayed by more than an hour due to skies congested with planes unable to land because of the weather, was uneventful and the landing in Buffalo was soft and smooth.

Heneghan went home, ate Chinese food, did laundry and went to bed.

She was awakened at 5 a. m. by the ringing of her cell phone. Dance instructors in Ireland, knowing her flight plan, were texting to see if she was OK. She turned on the TV and saw the crashed plane was the one she was to have been on.

“I was sick to my stomach. I called my mother first and then I called Tracy; she was crying she was so upset.”

The incident has left Heneghan wondering if she still wants to be a frequent flier.

“I’m one of those people who doesn’t even drive the Skyway,” she said. “I’m flying to Phoenix on Thursday, and I’m debating whether to go or not.”

fdoyle@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/579310.html

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 04:49 PM

Safety aides chide FAA for ignoring warnings on ice
By Robert J. McCarthy and Jerry Zremski
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS

Tougher regulations are needed to protect planes flying in the kind of icy conditions that possibly downed a Continental Connection flight in Clarence Center Thursday, federal safety officials have said, again and again, for more than a decade.

But the Federal Aviation Administration has never heeded the safety officials’ repeated warnings that more needs to be done about the risks that ice can pose to propeller planes.

That’s proved frustrating for the National Transportation Safety Board, which first recommended improved icing regulations in their “Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements” in 1997 and then added to those recommendations several times over the years.

“The pace of the FAA0s activities in response to these recommendations remains unacceptably slow, despite recent encouraging action,” Steven Chealander, the safety board member who is currently in Buffalo to investigate the crash of Continental Flight 3407, told a Senate committee last April.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which would impose any new rules, conceded in April 2007 that icing poses “an insidious hazard to aircraft” and proposed measures for safer flying in icy conditions. Yet those measures have not yet been implemented.

“It takes a little while to get this stuff going,” said Jim Peters, an FAA spokesman. “Rulemaking takes a period of time.”

The safety board, however, has confronted the issue with a sense of urgency.

“The consequences of operating an airplane in icing conditions, without first having thoroughly demonstrated adequate handling/controlability characteristics in those conditions, are sufficiently severe that they warrant a thorough certification test program,” Chealander said in his Senate testimony.

That program should include “application of revised standards to airplanes currently certificated for flight in icing conditions,” he added.

And in congressional testimony in June 2007, safety board Chairman Mark V. Rosenker put things more bluntly.

“Before another accident or serious incident occurs, the FAA should evaluate all existing turbo-propeller driven airplanes in service using the new information available, such as critical ice shapes and stall warning margins in icing conditions,” Rosenker said.

While Rosenker said at the time that he thought the FAA was delaying action because it had been years since icing had appeared to play a role in a major crash, Peters insisted the FAA has not been ignoring the issue.

He pointed to an agency advisory noting more than 100 airworthiness directives instituted since 1994 to address icing issues on more than 50 aircraft types. The orders range from crew operating procedures in the icing environment to direct design changes.

“We also have changed airplane flight manuals and other operating documents to address icing safety,” the advisory said, “and issued bulletins and alerts to operators emphasizing icing safety issues.”

Peters said the agency is required to put new rules “out for comment” after their initial development, often delaying implementation. But he said he was unable to determine if the three new rules the FAA proposed 22 months ago have taken an extraordinary amount of time to be implemented.

The FAA noted in 2007 that its regulations do not require a way to warn pilots of ice buildup. It proposed requiring an effective way to detect ice buildup or let pilots know that icing conditions exist, and produce timely activation of the ice protection system.

The proposed rule would mandate one of three methods to detect icing and activate the ice protection system:

• An ice detection system that automatically activates or alerts pilots to implement the ice protection system.

• A definition of visual signs of ice buildup on a specified surface (windshield wiper post or wings) combined with a system that alerts pilots to activate the ice protection system.

• Identification of temperature and moisture conditions causing airframe icing that would tip off pilots to activate the ice protection system.

The advisory further notes that on Aug. 8, the FAA published a final rule introducing new standards for icing conditions that improve safety for new airplane designs. But that falls far short of what the NTSB has been calling for since its probe of a 1994 crash of a turbo-prop aircraft in Roselawn, Ind., that killed 68 people.

Noting that the FAA has delivered an “unacceptable response” to four of the safety board’s icing recommendations since 1997, the safety board said on its Web site: “The Federal Aviation Administration has not adopted a systematic and proactive approach to the certification and operational issues of turbine-engine-driven, transport-category airplane icing.”

rmccarthy@buffnews.com and jzremski@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/579313.html

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 04:57 PM

Two videos-

Aerial view of site-

http://media.wkbw.com/video/AERIALS.wmv?c=y&host=media.wkbw.com

http://media.wkbw.com/video/WKBW+BIG+PIECE.wmv?c=y&host=media.wkbw.com

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 05:04 PM

Eyewitnesses recount moments before and after
By Jane Kwiatkowski and Susan Martin
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS
02/14/09 06:34 AM

On the ground, Lauren Topliffe, 19, was driving on Heise Road off Clarence Center Road with a friend Thursday night when they suddenly saw the sky light up before them.

They headed down Clarence Center Road, where all they could see was a fire in an area not far from the Clarence Center Fire Hall.

They were among the earliest eyewitnesses to the scene.

“There was only one other car there –no sirens yet –but people were on cell phones running away from it. Then we saw electric sparks and heard another boom,” she said.

…

Another eyewitness, Tony Tatro, a Clarence resident who was driving on nearby Clarence Center Road, got a look at the plane above him, before he heard it crash.

“It was [flying] nose down, hardly above the treetops, and its left wing was tilted slightly down. I did not see any landing gear. I saw the underbelly of the plane fairly well.

There was nothing burning on the plane and no physical damage. Nothing seemed wrong, except it was on a bad path,” he said.

…

About a dozen homes were evacuated, including Lonnie Hines’ home on Long Street.

“Our house is obliterated by smoke,” said Hines, who stayed in a hotel Thursday night.

He praised emergency crews for their quick response but said it’s unclear whether evacuated families will receive any assistance.

“They’re not sure how long it will take to put all the pieces of this puzzle together,” said Hines, referring to the federal probe that began this morning at the crash site. “They told us to pack for three to five days,” he said.

…

Kathleen Dworak, a Clarence resident who lives about a quarter mile from the crash scene, estimated the flames were 50 to 100 feet high.

“It was just a massive ball of fire. And you couldn’t even tell there was a plane on the ground,” she said.

…

Jaimeelynn Trujillo, who lives behind the crash site and was also evacuated, saw at least one of the occupants of the Long Street house –the site where the plane crashed.

She witnessed one of the two women inside the home fleeing outdoors to safety.

“I saw her start saying, “It’s my house, it’s my house, it’s my house.’ And then she fell to the ground,” Trujillo said.

…

John Leamer, a Goodrich Road resident who lives across from the Town of Clarence Highway Department, thought the strange sound he heard outside his window Thursday night might have been a snowplow “that had dropped its plow and was revving its engine.”

Then a neighbor called and asked if he and his wife, Flora, could see the fire.

“I looked out through the blinds –and I could,” he said.

…

David Luce, who lives about 150 yards from the crash scene on Goodrich Road, was another eyewitness who described the moments before and after the crash.

“It sounded quite loud, and then the sound stopped. Then one or two seconds later, there was a thunderous explosion. I thought something hit our house. It shook our whole house. There was the initial boom, and then these cannon shots –these loud secondary explosions, and they went on for about 10 minutes.”

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/579278.html

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 05:14 PM

Passengers and crew aboard Flight 3407: Their stories
Activists, musicians, devoted family members and working people now linked by tragedy
By Charity Vogel
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 02/14/09 03:59 PM

Some of them were well known. Like Alison Des Forges, a human rights activist and world-renowned expert on Rwanda, who was coming home from a public debate with a member of British Parliament.

Or two musicians who played with Chuck Mangione’s jazz band, Coleman Mellett and Gerry Niewood, who were going to star in a jazz concert Friday night at Kleinhans Music Hall.

Or Beverly Eckert, the widow of a Buffalo-born man killed in the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11, who met President Obama last week. Obama called her “an inspiration.”

Others were less widely known, but no less loved.

A devoted father of two, David Borner. A world traveler with family in Buffalo, John G. Roberts III. Mary Pettys, called “Belle,” who became engaged in December and was planning a June wedding.

“Every morning since my mother’s death, she would go to Tim Hortons, get a coffee for herself and my father, and bring it over to his house, sit there and have coffee,” said her brother, Patrick Pettys. “Not a day went by when she missed it. She was a saint.”

None of them imagined this would happen, when they stepped on board Continental Connection Flight 3407 in Newark, N.J., bound for Buffalo.

The plane was late getting off the ground. Eckert called her sister from the plane while it idled on the ground, to let her know she would be delayed a while.

“She said, ‘Don’t wait up, it looks like it’s gonna be late.’ But I did wait up,” said Karen Eckert, an Amherst resident. “When we realized [it had crashed], we went straight to the airport. It’s just unreal.”

As the plane approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport at about 10:15 p.m., it abruptly plunged out of the drizzly sky and crashed into the home of a Clarence family of six, taking the lives of all 49 people on board, as well as one man in the house.

But one fact emerged as names of the victims trickled out in the aftermath: The passengers killed were as varied and multifaceted as the city they were headed toward.

Here are some of their stories.

Genocide expert

Alison Des Forges, a Human Rights Watch senior adviser, had been on her way home from a London trip to discuss abuses of the Rwandan government with a member of Parliament.

Before she left New York City that afternoon, she said she was not looking forward to taking a small plane to Buffalo in blustery weather.

“But she took it anyway,” said her husband, Roger, a University at Buffalo history professor.

Des Forges, 66, was known for her grace, humility and intellectual successes — one of which was a prestigious MacArthur “genius” grant, another a book about the Rwandan genocide. She conducted meetings with famous peace advocates, such as Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela.

“She worked day and night to save people’s lives,” said Helene Kramer, a family friend.

Des Forges and her husband met as Schenectady-area high school students and Model United Nations members. Des Forges was secretary-general. “I felt that she was beautiful in both body and spirit,” he said.

Her focus of study, on the lake region of eastern Africa and Rwanda and Burundi, followed her volunteering as a Harvard undergraduate to teach Rwandan refugees. Her Ph. D. dissertation at Yale University, about the Rwandan monarchy, led the nonprofit organization Human Rights Watch to send her with a team to research ethnic tensions and political killings in 1992.

Two years later, war began, just as her report had warned.

“Her expertise was sought again and again and again by national authorities on cases unfolding in their courts of individuals facing deportation, or on trial for alleged involvement in the genocide,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, in a statement.

Des Forges’ latest trip to London was for a forum discussion with a conservative member of Parliament and focused on international development. She thought afterward that she’d been persuasive, her husband said.

A former adjunct professor at UB, Des Forges came to Buffalo with her husband in 1973.

“She was an advocate for people who could not advocate for themselves,” said Kramer. “It’s a loss for everyone.”

Music was their life

At least three people on board the plane lived for music.

Two of them were lucky enough to play in the band of Chuck Mangione, a popular jazz musician whose hits include the song “Feels So Good.” The band was scheduled to play Friday night in Kleinhans; that concert was canceled.

Gerry Niewood, 64, a Rochester native, played saxophone and flute, and had been playing on Mangione’s jazz records since he was 14.

Coleman Mellett, of East Brunswick, N.J., played guitar.

“I’m in shock over the horrible, heartbreaking tragedy of the crash of Flight 3407, which took the lives of my dear friends and band members,” Mangione said in a statement. “I am grieving and praying with their families and friends.”

The other musician aboard the plane was Susan Wehle, cantor at Williamsville’s Temple Beth Am for the last seven years.

Wehle, 55, loved music. She even recorded a CD called “Songs of Healing and Hope.” At her temple, she was known for the classes she organized to instruct congregants on leading services. She had a degree in acting, and performed with theater companies and conducted choirs across the United States, Canada and Israel.

“Her concern for others, her love of the life of the spirit, was infectious,” said Rabbi Irwin A. Tanenbaum of Temple Beth Am. “Any who knew Cantor Wehle came under her spell.”

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 05:19 PM

Young and promising

Three young women aboard the plane, all of whom died at just 24, will forever serve as heartbreaking reminders of promising futures cut short.

Ellyce Kausner was one. Known as “Elly,” the Clarence native consistently amazed her family by her achievements — and her potential.

A graduate of Canisius College, where she won an award for being the student with the most potential for the study of law, Kausner was in her second year at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville.

“She had more life in her than 10 of us,” said John Kausner, her father.

Madeline Linn Loftus was also full of spirit. The Parsippany, N. J., resident loved ice hockey with a passion — playing it, watching it, even driving the Zamboni when needed.

Loftus was on her way into Buffalo for a reunion of a team she used to play for: the Buffalo State College women’s ice hockey squad.

Rebecca Lynne Shaw had already displayed the drive and discipline needed to succeed in her chosen career — as a pilot.

Shaw, of Maple View, Wash., had decided in high school, where she was an athlete, that she wanted a career aboard airplanes. Besides her career as a co-pilot with Colgan Air, an airline she had joined a year ago, she was a certified flight instructor.

Heading for happiness

A few aboard the plane had their heads full of plans for weddings they were soon to attend — or participate in. Happy occasions, now forever changed.

One woman, 30-year-old Lorin Maurer of Princeton, N. J., was traveling to Buffalo to attend the wedding of her boyfriend’s brother. Her boyfriend, Kevin Kuwik, is the son of former Erie County Legislator Edward Kuwik. Maurer worked at Princeton University.

“Belle” Pettys was planning her own June wedding. She had gotten engaged in December — a lovely present, for her 50th birthday.

Pettys, who grew up in West Seneca in a family of 10 kids, worked for many years at Blue- Cross BlueShield of Western New York before taking a job at TriZetto. She loved spending

time with her large family and friends, family members recalled.

A tragic coincidence

In a sad twist, the victim who was killed on the ground was a former co-worker of one of the victims on Flight 3407.

Douglas C. Wielinski, who was killed when the plane crashed into his Long Street home, worked at Henkel Corp. in Buffalo until 2003, according to a Henkel employee.

Passenger Kevin Johnston worked at Henkel and was returning on Flight 3407 from a business trip, the employee told The News. The Buffalo facility was closed Friday in Henkel’s honor.

The 9/11 widow

One death in particular resonated across the nation because of its haunting poignancy.

Beverly Eckert, who saw her husband, Sean Rooney, die when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001, was on her way back home to Buffalo, her birthplace, to celebrate a few special events.

She was flying into Buffalo on a high note. Just last week, she had met with President Obama in Washington, for a discussion of the detainee situation in Guantanamo Bay.

The meeting was more public recognition of Eckert’s high-profile role as an advocate for victims’ families in the wake of her husband’s death.

Eckert was impressed with Obama. She saved the napkin from under his drinking glass, as a souvenir, and bragged to friends about it.

“I sat right across from Obama at the meeting,” she wrote in an e-mail to some friends, “and although I took a photo of him, I opted not to use the flash on my camera since that would have been rude. So this is a really blurry photo, but you can still tell who it is.”

The admiration was mutual. Obama, in turn, was clearly impressed with Eckert — a slight, blonde woman known for her tailored clothes, her love of home renovation projects and pottery-making, and her unstoppable drive and determination.

Obama called Eckert a “tireless advocate for the families, those whose lives were forever changed on that September day.”

“I pray that her family finds peace and comfort in the hard days ahead,” the president said during a news conference Friday morning.

Eckert, 57, a resident of Stamford, Conn., was bound for Buffalo in anticipation of two events she always looked forward to: a gathering with her family and Rooney’s, in commemoration of what would have been Sean’s 58th birthday on Sunday; and a ceremony at Canisius High School in which she was to award a student with a memorial scholarship in honor of her husband, an alumnus of the school.

“She was an extremely intelligent, competent person. When she was faced with what she faced, and saw a reason to do something, she put her many talents toward that,” said Karen Eckert of Amherst, Beverly’s sister. “But she wanted balance in her life, too. She said, ‘Every day is precious.’ ”

Eckert, a tireless advocate for the families of 9/11 victims in the years following the terrorist attacks, became a national figure and authority on the issue.

Friends were stunned by the idea that Eckert had died in a way that paralleled her husband — a fiery plane crash.

“I think there’s great irony,” said Pamela Germain, a vice president at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and close friend of Eckert’s. “Sean died with thousands; she died with dozens. The unique circumstances under which they both perished — it’s a puzzle. I can’t pretend I’m reconciled to all this.”

More on the victims:

Mary "Belle" Pettys, the third of 10 siblings in her West Seneca family, became engaged in December on her 50th birthday and she was to be married in June. Pettys was returning from a brief business trip to New Jersey.

Patrick Pettys remembered his sister as "a joy to be around, funny, intelligent, talkative."

She attended Mount Mercy Academy. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Canisius College and went on to a brief stint writing obituaries for the Courier-Express. She later spent 25 years working for BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York and since 2006 had been employed by TriZetto, a health care company. She leaves behind nine siblings and her father, Howard.

"Every morning since my mother's death, she would go to Tim Hortons, get a coffee for herself and my father, and bring it over to his house, sit there, have coffee and then she would come home and do her work. Not a day went by when she missed it," Patrick Pettys said. "She was a saint."

— Colin Dabkowski

Fort Erie resident Don McDonald was the go-to man when things went wrong.

McDonald, 48, was the technical manager at the Pharmetics Inc. plant in Fort Erie, Ont., and had been with the company for 26 years, said Peter Lucyshyn, vice president of quality operations.

His job was to troubleshoot equipment problems and drug formulations for the Jarvis Street plant, one of two that manufactures over-the-counter drugs for the Montreal-based company, Lucyshyn said. Pharmetics is one of the largest private-label, pharmaceutical companies in Canada.

"Don was returning from New Jersey, where he was reviewing some packaging equipment that the company was planning to buy," Lucyshyn said. "We are all in shock over this tragic incident, and our hearts and condolences go out to the family."

McDonald leaves behind a wife and young daughter, Lucyshyn said. He worked long hours, enjoyed golfing and traveled periodically for the company, he added.

Grief counselors met with employees Friday to help them cope with the loss of a hard-working colleague and friend.

— Sandra Tan

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 05:50 PM

Coleman Mellett, 34, was heading to Buffalo to perform with jazz flugelhorn whiz Chuck Mangione.

The jazz guitarist lived in East Brunswick, N.J., with his wife, jazz singer Jeanie Bryson, the daughter of Dizzy Gillespie. They met when he played guitar in her backup band.

They often performed together, and were scheduled to headline a Valentine's Day gala tonightsat, in Trenton, N.J.

Mellett, a native of Natick, Mass., was hired by Mangione after the trumpeter spotted him on a Manhattan cable television show. Mellett has played with Mangione since 1999, touring the world.

Mellett's musical career began when he talked his parents out of piano lessons … and into giving him a guitar.

"A guitar's a lot easier to carry around than a piano," Mellett joked to the Newark Star-Ledger last year. "I love that you can play chords and melody, that it covers a lot of styles, has infinite possibilities."

— Andrew Z. Galarneau

Douglas C. Wielinski, a veteran and marketing manager at Luvata Buffalo, enjoyed visiting history classes at Clarence Central High School and sharing his experiences from Vietnam with his daughters' generation.

While his wife, Karen, and daughter, Jill, managed to get out of their Long Street home after the Continental airplane crashed into the house, Wielinski, 61, perished in the crash and inferno.

Karen Wielinski, a secretary in the personnel department of Clarence Central Schools for five years, told WBEN Radio she believes her husband was in the dining room in the center of their house when the plane hit. Karen Wielinski crawled out of the family room in the rear of the house. Her daughter, Jill, was blown out of the house, according to Erie County Executive Chris Collins.

The Wielinskis have three other daughters: Kimberly; Jessica, of the Town of Monroe; and Lori, of Cincinnati.

Clarence School Superintendent Thomas Coseo said all the daughters graduated from Clarence High School, and Lori Wielinski played soccer with his daughter.

"He [Douglas] was always around when Lori was playing soccer," Coseo said. "He was very supportive of all the kids in their academics and athletic programs."

He said Wielinski liked talking to high school classes.

"Doug was committed to the students," Coseo said. "He thoroughly enjoyed the lectures he did. He enjoyed sharing his experience."

"We're all deeply saddened," said Jack Alonge, director of human services at Luvata, the North Buffalo manufacturer formerly known as Outokumpu American Brass. "Everybody is extending their condolences to the family. He was a quiet, wonderful, good person who cared deeply for his family."

— Barbara O'Brien

Gerard "Gerry" Niewood, 64, a noted jazz musician who played blew saxophone and flute with Chuck Mangione and other artists for more than four decades, was arriving for a Mangione date at Kleinhans Music Hall.

Niewood was a Rochester native who at 14 played baritone saxophone on Mangione's first record, "Have I Told You So," reissued as "B'bye" on Mangione's "Children of Sanchez" album.

Niewood, who lived in New Jersey, had Buffalo roots since graduating from the University at Buffalo in 1965 with a bachelor of science degree. He graduated from Rochester's the Eastman School of Music in 1970.

He played frequently at the original Tralfamadore Cafe in the 1970s, and returned often to play Buffalo venues.

Niewood's name was heard outside jazz circles in Simon & Garfunkel's "Live in Central Park," where Art Garfunkel named him on stage. Niewood also was a frequent performer at Radio City Music Hall, and with Liza Minelli's orchestra.

He leaves his wife, Gurly, and his son, Adam.

— Andrew Z. Galarneau

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 05:51 PM

From the time he was a kid, Joseph J. Zuffoletto loved airplanes. "He had his pilot's license before he had his driver's license," said his sister, Jaime Rose of Mesa, Ariz. "If anyone loved to fly, it was him."

Born in Rochester, Zuffoletto's parents, Roselle and Jim Zuffoletto, moved the family to San Diego to join relatives in a warmer climate.

A bright guy with a passion for science fiction, Joe Zuffoletto graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and worked for awhile flying cargo routes, his sister said. Eventually, he became a commercial pilot. Zuffoletto, 27, joined Colgan Air in September 2005, and recently was promoted to captain.

He rented an apartment with two friends in Jamestown, where Colgan stationed him. Frequently, he flew into Buffalo to see his grandmother in Cheektowaga. When his sister saw the crash on TV Thursday night, she called her grandmother, who lives near the airport, to make sure she was OK. Next, Rose called and texted her brother, but got to no response. Zuffoletto died while flying as a passenger.

— Mary B. Pasciak

Skydiving. Check. Wakeboarding. Check.

Ellyce Kausner had a mental list of things to do in life, and methodically did them.

A week or so ago she went swimming with dolphins, and no who knew her was surprised.

"She had more life in her than 10 of us," said her father, John.

Known as "Elly," Kausner, 24, grew up in Clarence in a tight-knit family for whom religious faith is a central part of their lives.

She graduated from Clarence High School and Canisius College, and was a second-year student at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville. At Canisius, she won the tuition award given to a senior with the most potential for the study of law.

She was traveling home to visit her family and boyfriend before final exams. She also had three nephews who wanted her as their Valentine at school.

Friends and family described her as bright, bubbly and magnetic. They said she was devoted to her family and loved animals, especially her two cats.

"She was the life of the party, and enjoyed being the center of attention," her father said.

He saw her just a few days ago in Florida while on vacation with his wife, Marilyn. As they parted, their last words to each other were, "I love you."

— Henry L. Davis

John G. Roberts III, a Lewiston native who lived in India, was returning home for an overdue visit with family members.

"It's sad because we all haven't seen him for such a long time, and everyone was patiently waiting for him and [Flight 3407] just crashed like it was nothing," said Chelsea Gagliardo, Roberts' niece.

Roberts, 48, was the oldest of five children and grew up in Lewiston. He lived in the area off and on, traveling overseas often, Gagliardo said.

"The last time I saw him was probably over a year ago," she added. "I was so excited to see him."

Roberts had been an active member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Niagara Falls when he lived in the area.

Roberts' father, John Jr., is the owner of Apple Granny's, a popular restaurant on Center Street, the main drag in the Village of Lewiston.

"I grew up in Lewiston and John Roberts [the father] has always been a fixture here," said Bridget Schroeder, owner of the neighboring Village Bake Shoppe. "He's 100 percent supportive of the community and area as a whole, and takes great pride in his family and community. I hate to think of something like this happening to this family. It's a real tragedy."

Sandy Hays Meis, consulting director of Lower Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce, agreed.

"Especially, with the nature of their (restaurant) business, the Robertses touch so many people here in Western New York," she said. "We all share their grief and pain, and wish them peace."

— Emma Sapong, Teresa Sharp

Jean Srnecz, an executive for a book and entertainment distributor who lived in New Jersey, was coming to town to visit family, according to Publishers Weekly.

Born in 1949, she was a 1971 graduate of D'Youville College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in history. She also earned a master's degree in political science from the University at Buffalo and, later, a master's degree in finance from New York University.

She had worked for Baker & Taylor, one of the nation's top book suppliers, since 1975 and held the title of senior vice president of merchandising.

Srnecz was described as "the face of B&T to the publishing industry," by Arnie Wright, the company's president.

"She was instrumental in carrying out all our initiatives, but most importantly she was a true friend to those she worked with," Wright said. "If you start a list with the great people in the world, she is at the top."

—Janice Habuda

Clay Yarber didn't like to fly. He hadn't flown in years, his former wife said, but worked up the courage to book a flight from his home in Riverside, Calif., to visit some friends in Buffalo.

Until Friday, Yarber cheated death. The U.S. Marine had served two tours of duty in the Vietnam War and earned two Purple Hearts among his other service awards, said ex-wife Shari Ingram, who lives in Largo, Fla.

Yarber, 62, had been shot, his lungs filled with blood, Ingram said. He had received shrapnel wounds and other service-related injuries that would haunt him throughout his life.

But he lived. He settled in the St. Petersburg, Fla., area for about 30 years. He sang and played guitar for local bands, such as Grey Imprint and Powerplay in the 1980s, said Ingram, who was married to Yarber for four years and had a son with him.

"I can't remember him ever flying in all the years we've been married or ever since, and he takes one flight?" Ingram said. "What kind of odds is that?"

Yarber is survived by a son, Christopher, who lived with his father this past year in Riverside; three other daughters, the youngest of whom is 15; and his mother, Ingram said.

— Sandra Tan

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 05:51 PM

Bethany Kushner had spent the past several weeks in California, where she chronicled her adventures for friends back home through photos on her Facebook page.

The return of the 19-year-old Angola resident was eagerly awaited Thursday. A friend had written at 10:28 p.m.: "when r u gonna be home?"

Kushner was a 2007 graduate of Eden Junior-Senior High School. She attended Keuka College for a year, where she competed on the tennis team, and planned to complete her college education at Buffalo State College.

Friday, postings reflected the grief of her friends, near and far.

"Rest in peace Beth," wrote one. "Even though we were friends while you were at Keuka for that short time you were one awesome person you will be missed."

She is survived by her parents, Lynn and Julius; a sister, Megan; and a brother, Joe.

— Janice Habuda

Matilda Quintero had been a flight attendant for only a year, but she enjoyed every day of her work.

"She was all excited about her job. She finally got the job she wanted," Alison Eckert, a neighbor of hers in Woodbridge, N.J., told a local newspaper there. "She was a very nice lady. She always looked on the bright side."

Quintero, 57, was hired by Colgan Air in May 2008. She owned a home in Woodbridge, where she lived with her mother, who is in her 90s, and her daughter Cecilia Quintero, 21.

Cecilia told the New Jersey Star-Ledger that the family shared her mother's joy in her new job. At the same time, though, "We always worried every day," Cecilia said.

Matilda Quintero's husband died about a decade ago, according to the Star-Ledger. Quintero's other daughter, Catherine Quintero, 32, is a senior at Drew University in Madison, N.J.

Flight attendant Donna Prisco, 52, of Randolph, N.J., also started working with Colgan Air in May 2008.

— Mary B. Pasciak

Jerome "Jerry" Krasuski, 53, was returning home to Cheektowaga from a one-day business trip. He was a program manager for Northrop Grumman Amherst Systems, a defense contractor in Williamsville, where he was employed for more than 20 years. Three of his colleagues also died in the crash.

He was remembered Friday as a loving, thoughtful, family man who took care of his mother, Stephanie, and always made time for elderly relatives.

"He had a heart of gold," said a cousin, Karen Kras. "I mentioned the other day that I needed a lock for my basement door. He disappeared, came back and said "I had this one in my tool box.' He was always doing little things like that for everyone."

Krasuski was a skilled woodworker who enjoyed building furniture, loved wildlife and had a particular soft spot for "The Three Stooges."

Krasuski and his wife, Justine, were married for 29 years. He walked daughter Stacy Krukowski down the aisle in 2006 and became grandfather to his first grandchild, Ava, four months ago. He also leaves behind a brother, Norman, of North Tonawanda and a sister, Carol Wind, of Michigan.

— Samantha Maziarz Christmann

Ice hockey was part of Madeline Linn Loftus' life whether she was in Buffalo, Minnesota or New Jersey.

Loftus, 24, of Parsippany, N.J., was on her way to Buffalo to reunite with 14 other alumnae of Buffalo State College women's ice hockey team for a Saturday game.

Known as "Maddy," she played forward for Buffalo State during her freshman and sophomore years from 2002 to 2004. She later transferred to St. Mary's University of Minnesota, where she played forward and studied marketing. She graduated from St. Mary's University in 2006.

As a teenager, Loftus was the only girl on the ice hockey team at Parsippany Hills High School.

"She was quite a trailblazer," said Principal Nancy Gigante.

"Madeline was an extremely confident individual. She knew who she was and as a result of that, she was a natural leader," said Terry Mannor, coach of the St. Mary's women's hockey team. "Everyone who met Madeline, even for a few minutes, will remember her. People knew her and respected her."

— Denise Jewell Gee

David M. Borner of Pendleton was supposed to leave for a Florida cruise with his family Friday morning. That is how he came to be on Flight 3407, a neighbor said.

Originally, Borner planned to drive both ways for his business trip in New Jersey. But he was afraid he would get back too late to catch the early-morning flight planeto Florida for the family's cruise. So he hopped a flight.

"I was supposed to drive him to the airport" for his trip to Florida, said Richard E. Ganter, another longtime neighbor. "I called Cheryl [Borner's wife], and she told me what happened. I was very stunned."

The father of Michael, an eighth-grader at Starpoint Middle School named Michael and Nicole, a senior at Starpoint High School, Borner was described as a family man who was friendly and outgoing.

"He was very involved with his children," said Ruth Belling, who lives nearby with her husband, Theodore.

According to his neighbors, Borner worked out of his home for Kraft Foods.

It seemed like a good time in his life, one of his friend said. His daughter, a top student and soccer star, was graduating this year and was to play soccer at Binghamton University. Everyone in the family was excited about the cruise, friends said. And a big party was being planned for Borner's 50th birthday, on March 15.

"It's just so tragic," Belling said.

— Niki Cervantes

Lorin Maurer was flying in to attend the wedding of Keith Kuwik, brother of her boyfriend, Kevin Kuwik. It would be her first trip to Buffalo.

Maurer, 30, worked for Princeton University's Office of Development Priorities, and she worked closely with its athletic department. Kevin Kuwik is director of basketball operations at Butler University in Indianapolis.

"We've been talking about moving to the same place," Kuwik said. "She used to work at the NCAA in Indianapolis, and she was putting out some feelers there. The expectation was that, when the season was over, I would put out some feelers on the East Coast, coaching-wise.

Kuwik, former assistant basketball coach at Ohio University, served as an Army captain in Operation Iraqi Freedom. "Coming back from Iraq, and I didn't lose anybody," he said. "You think if you can get through Iraq unscathed, you wouldn't have something like this happen."

The bridal couple will place a red rose on the altar of St. Louis Church today in honor of Lorin Maurer.

— Jane Kwiatkowski

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 05:53 PM

Capt. Marvin D. Renslow, 47, lived on a Florida cul-de-sac with his wife, a son who is a senior in high school, and a daughter, about 11, whom he often escorted home from the school bus.

"He was just a wonderful man," said Kathie Slawiak, who left the Buffalo area about 24 years ago. She and her husband, David, live about six houses away from the Renslow home in Lutz, Fla., which is near Tampa-St. Petersburg.

Records show Renslow, an Iowa native, was a small-business owner in Florida before joining Colgan Air in September 2005. He was among the first homeowners in their subdivision, which started to sprout about 12 years ago, Slawiak said.

Neighbors knew that Renslow's work often kept him away from home. But when he was home they would hear his drumming. He had been a drummer in high school, and his son had developed an interest in drums.

When neighbors on Glen Oak Lane gathered for a pig roast each year they would see Renslow's jovial side, Slawiak said. "He was just a friendly, outgoing man," she said.

— Matthew Spina

Zhaofang Guo, 53, of Amherst was killed in Thursday's crash.

Guo, who worked in the Ford Stamping Plant in Hamburg, was married to Ping Wang, a researcher at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

The couple's 15-year-old son, Kevin, is a high school sophomore.

Mary E. Maloney, the family's attorney, said Guo's family is devastated.

"He was a really very nice and kind man," Maloney said. "I know he'll be greatly missed by his family."

Teri Doren, one of Guo's neighbors, said the family generally kept to itself, but Guo would usually smile and say hello to her when they saw each other outside.

Guo regularly worked on his home and in the garden, said Doren, who described him as "a really sweet, kind man."

Guo received a master's degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La., in 1992, according to a representative of the school's alumni association.

— Aaron Besecker

Nicole Korczykowski, whose parents live in Eden, worked for a New York City-area investment firm.

After attending Nichols School, she graduated in 2001 from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, where she had a concentration in finance.

She lived in New York City.

— Aaron Besecker

As the cantor of Williamsville's Temple Beth Am, Susan Wehle found a way to merge three passions — people, music and spirituality.

Inspired by a visit to a seriously ill friend, she recorded a CD called "Songs of Healing and Hope."

Determined to boost grass-roots liturgical involvement, Wehle organized classes for congregants on leading prayer services.

And to honor the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a civil rights activist, she urged congregants to perform good deeds.

"Her concern for others, her love of the life of the spirit, was infectious," said Irwin A. Tanenbaum, the Temple Beth Am rabbi. "Any who knew Cantor Wehle came under her spell."

Wehle, 55, completed her theological training while raising two sons — Jonah and Jake — and she also had a degree in acting. She performed with theater companies in Buffalo, Chicago and New York, and conducted choirs in the United States, Canada and Israel.

The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Wehle was a cantorial soloist at Temple Sinai in Amherst for nearly 10 years before joining Temple Beth Am in 2002.

In addition to her musical skills, Wehle was noted for blending a sometimes gritty, down-to-earth personality with a soaring sense of religiosity. "She made spirituality joyous," said Judy E. Henn, Beth Am's vice president of worship.

Wehle was returning home from a vacation in Costa Rica when she died in Thursday's plane crash. Her voice was stilled, but her message — expressed in a recent edition of the temple newsletter — lives on.

"May we all work, in whatever way suits us, toward "tikkun olam,' the healing of the world," she said.

— Peter Simon

Rebecca Lynne Shaw grew up in a suburb of Seattle, home of the headquarters for Boeing Co., and decided in her senior year in high school that she wanted to fly.

She was the first officer on the Continental Connection flight that crashed late Thursday. Her voice, communicating with the air traffic controllers at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, was the last sound heard from Flight 3407 before it crashed into a Clarence Center home.

Shaw, 24, had joined Colgan Air in January 2008 and had flown 2,244 hours with the airline. Records show she was certified as a flight instructor. She had been a high school athlete and a camp counselor.

She lived in Maple View, Wash., with her husband, Troy. They had just returned to Maple View from Virginia.

As her husband traveled to Buffalo on Friday, her mother, Lynn Morris, told an Associated Press reporter that her daughter loved to fly.

"We love her and miss her terribly," she said.

— Matthew Spina

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 05:54 PM

Ronald Gonzalez, director of a youth program in New Jersey, was flying home to visit family in the Buffalo area.

Gonzalez formerly led Alianza Latina, a health outreach organization focused on AIDS/HIV in Buffalo's Latino community.

"He lived for his work and for the community," said Dennis R. Pfaffenbach, a member of the the organization's board of directors who worked alongside Gonzalez before joining the board.

Gonzalez, 44, was director of the Youth Services Program based in the New Brunswick, N.J., schools, according to the Star Ledger's Web site.

In a 2005 Buffalo News story about a National Latino AIDS Awareness Day event, Gonzalez described the efforts of Alianza Latina in Buffalo.

"What we are trying to do in the community is prevention work," Gonzalez said that day.

— Aaron Besecker

Outgoing, loving, down to earth: That's how Donald Mossop, his wife, Dawn Mossop, their son, Shawn and Dawn's sister, Ferris Reid, were recalled by a church leader Saturday.

The extended family, who lived together in Bloomfield, N.J., were bound for Toronto, but wanted to save money by flying into Buffalo and then driving a rental car across the border.

"It will be a huge loss," said Brett Jackson, coordinator of the body of elders at Jehovah's Witnesses Congregation in Claremont, N.J., where Donald Mossop was an elder. "Not just because of the things Donald oversaw, but also just the presence of he and his family.

"Warm, vivacious … you knew that when you were around them you were going to enjoy yourself."

Both Mossops and Reid were born in Jamaica before making lives for themselves in New Jersey.

Donald Mossop moved to Claremont as a teenager to live with an uncle after the death of his father. Dawn, a childhood friend, followed five years later to marry him. Several of her family members, including Ferris Reid, followed.

Donald Mossop, 42, worked for Xerox as a technician repairing copying equipment in Manhattan. He loved to tinker around, and repair things for family and friends.

Dawn Mossop, 48, a senior administrative assistant at pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough, is described by Jackson as being "outgoing."

Reid, 44, worked as a traveling nurse and lived with the Mossops in their three-story house with another sister, Venita Reid. Jackson said she could be quiet in public, but quite the opposite around family and friends.

One of Reid's favorite things was to go shopping with her sisters.

Shawn, 12, a sixth grader, was a "very respectful, polite child," Jackson said. He was learning to play guitar.

The family enjoyed traveling, and rarely went to cold climates. They were going to Canada in the wintertime to meet a love interest of another of Dawn's sisters, Jackson said.

The trip was originally scheduled to occur several weeks ago.

— Mark Sommer

Brad S. Green, 53, of East Amherst was a salesman for Kraft Foods, according to former neighbors.

Green and his family were described kind and helpful, the type of people everyone would want living next door, said Dave Braunscheidel, a former neighbor.

Braunscheidel and Green used to help each other with projects around their houses, like working on Green's hot tub and an engine on his son's three-wheeler.

Green, a member of Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church in Clarence, is survived by his wife, Sharon, and two children, Jennifer and Brad Jr.

"Our heart goes out to them," said Braunscheidel, who said he was neighbor to the Greens for about 10 years.

George Regan, another former neighbor, described Green as "very, very well liked."

Regan, 88, said the family used to help him use the Internet to keep in touch with his own son, who traveled around the world.

"Anybody that knew them, they're going to be astounded," Regan said.

Green was one of two Kraft employees on the plane, along with David M. Borner of Pendleton.

"We are devastated by the news and our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with our employees' families during this difficult time," the company said in a statement issued to the Tonawanda News. "Kraft Foods also extends its deepest condolences to all families affected by this tragic event."

— Aaron Besecker

The following people also reportedly were passengers on the flight:

Ronald D. Davidson, 66, and Linda C. Davidson, 61, of Westfield, N.Y., were on their way home from visiting a relative. Mrs. Davidson is a long-time nurse at Westfield Memorial Hospital in northern Chautauqua County. The couple has three children, two sons and a daughter, said Westfield residents who knew them.

Darren Tolsma and Ernest West, Northrop Grumman employees. West lived on Greiner Road in Clarence, not far from the crash site.

George Abu-Karem, 27, from Tiberias, Israel, who was en route to visit a relative. According to the Jerusalem Post, a second Israeli also was on the plane, but no name was released.

USAF Chief Master Sgt. John Fiore, (ret.), 59, of Grand Island.

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/579271.html

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 05:58 PM

NTSB: Plane didn't dive, but landed flat on house and pointing away from airport
By JOHN CURRAN Associated Press Writer
CLARENCE, N.Y. February 14, 2009 (AP)

An investigator says the plane that crashed on a house in New York state landed flat on it and was pointed away from the airport where it was supposed to land.

Steve Chealander (CHEE-lan-duhr) said Saturday that Continental Connection Flight 3407 did not dive into the house, as initially thought.

Chealander says the New Jersey-to-Buffalo flight was cleared to land on a runway pointing to the southwest. But the plane crashed with its nose pointed to the northeast.

He also says the catastrophic nature of the crash means it could take three or four days to remove human remains.

Forty-nine people on the plane and one person in the house died in the fiery crash late Thursday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

CLARENCE, N.Y. (AP) — Crash investigators picked through incinerated wreckage Saturday, gathering evidence to determine what brought down a commuter plane that plunged into a home and exploded.

It could take days to recover all human remains from the plot of land where a single-family home stood before Continental Connection Flight 3407 nose-dived into it late Thursday, National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Steve Chealander said.

Experts were analyzing data from the black boxes, including statements by crew members about a buildup of ice on the wings and windshield of the plane, Chealander said.

But authorities have yet to pin that as the cause of the crash, which occurred during a light snow and mist, killing 49 people on the flight and one man in the home.

Ice on wings can cripple an aircraft and has been blamed for several previous plane crashes. Other aircraft in the area Thursday night told air traffic controllers it also experienced icing around the time that Flight 3407 from Newark, N.J., to Buffalo went down.

Icing is one of several elements being examined by investigators, who plan to remain in Buffalo for another week before shipping plane parts to locations around the country for study, Chealander said. A full report will likely take a year, he said.

Other aircraft in the area Thursday night told air traffic controllers they also experienced icing around the time that the plane went down.

Icing is one of several elements being examined by investigators, Chealander said, adding that a full report will probably take a year.

DNA and dental records will be used to identify the bodies, he said.

One aspect of the investigation will focus on the crew, how they were trained and whether they had enough time to rest between flights. Other investigators focused on the weather, the mechanics of the plane and whether the engine, wings and various mechanics of the plane operated as they were designed to.

Initial visual inspection of the engines indicates they were working properly, Chealander said.

————

Associated Press writers Carolyn Thompson, William Kates and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6877952

samanthajane13

02-14-2009, 06:00 PM

THE LATEST ON THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 3407
By WKBW Programming
SATURDAY UPDATE:

Steve Chealander of the National Transportation Safety Board held a news conference at the Buffalo Marriott Hotel in Amherst, NY Saturday afternoon to outline the latest information the NTSB has.

During this news conference, Mr. Chealander outlined that the crash site on Long Street in Clarence Center where Continental Flight 3407 crashed is now considered an "excavation' site.

There are approxmimately 150 people on site that are involved in recovering the remains of the 50 victims who died in the crash, including 49 people on board the plane and one victim who perished in the house.

Mr. Chealander noted that 3-4 days may be needed to recover the victims of the crash, and wanted to move this process along before a predicted snowfall takes place in the middle of next week.

It was noted that parts of the plane crashed into the basement of the home that was hit, and that recovery workers are securing the site and handling the recovery effort with detail and respect for the victims.

Mr. Chealander explained that the plane tail was de-iced, and that the flight was delayed due to high winds in Newark, NJ before taking off Thursday night.

The NTSB investigation so far indicates that the plane did not crash totally nose down, and that it was laying flat. The investiagors believe that the plane was looking to approach runway 23 which is SW of the crash site, however the plane was oriented in a NE direction.

Mr. Chealander indicated that the CVR and Flight Data Recorder indicated that a "stick pusher" was activated and explained that the plane was flying on "auto pilot" until the "stick pusher" was activated so pilots could manually fly the plane during this time.

The next NTSB news briefing is scheduled for Sunday February 15th at 8am. Channel 7 Eyewitness News is covering all the NTSB news briefings, and will deliver this information on air at 6 & 11pm Saturday and Sunday, and online when updates become available.

LIST OF VICTIMS OF FLIGHT 3407 SO FAR

The Associated Press (AP) has published a list of the victims of Continental Flight 3407 that are known at this time. Channel 7 Eyewitness News will be talking to family members and remembering the victims of Flight 3407, while respecting the wishes of those who do not wish to appear on television during this time.

The staff of WKBW-TV joins the residents of Western New York and Southern Ontario who are mourning the loss of of the 50 lives lost in this tragic event.

The Associated Press
Names of people killed in crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407. The names have been provided by employers, relatives or friends.

Crew members:
- Capt. Marvin Renslow, pilot, of Lutz, Fla.
- Rebecca Shaw, first officer, of Maple Valley, Wash.
- Matilda Quintero, flight attendant, of Woodbridge, N.J.
- Donna Prisco, flight attendant.
- Capt. Joseph Zuffoletto, off-duty crew member, of Newark, N.J., and Jamestown, N.Y.

Passengers:
- David Borner, of Pendleton, N.Y. Worked for Kraft Foods.
- Alison Des Forges, of Buffalo, one of the world's leading experts on the genocide in Rwanda.
- Beverly Eckert, of Stamford, Conn., whose husband died in the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
- John Fiore, of Grand Island, N.Y., recently retired from the Air Force.
- Ron Gonzalez, of New Brunswick, N.J., director of a youth services program.
- Kevin Johnston, employee at Henkel Corp. adhesive factory in Buffalo.
- Ellyce Kausner, student at Florida Coastal School of Law.
- Nicole Korczykowski, of Eden, N.Y.
- Bethany Kushner, of Angola, N.Y., college student.
- Maddy Loftus, of Parsippany, N.J. Headed to Buffalo for weekend reunion of women hockey players.
- Lorin Maurer, who worked raising money for Princeton University's athletics department.
- Dawn Mossop, of Bloomfield, N.J., an executive secretary at Schering-Plough and Donald Mossop's wife.
- Donald Mossop, of Bloomfield, N.J., a technician for Xerox and Dawn Mossop's husband.
- Shawn Mossop, of Bloomfield, N.J., Donald and Dawn Mossop's 12-year-old son.
- Coleman Mellett, of East Brunswick, N.J., guitarist in jazz musician Chuck Mangione's band.
- Gerry Niewood, of Glen Ridge, N.J., saxophonist and member of jazz musician Chuck Mangione's band.
- Mary Pettys, of West Seneca, N.Y., software director for an insurance firm.
- Ferris Reid, of Bloomfield, N.J. Dawn Mossop's sister.
- Jean Srnecz, of Clinton, N.J., senior vice president of merchandising at Charlotte, N.C.-based Baker and Taylor.
- Susan Wehle, of Amherst, N.Y., cantor at Temple Beth Am in Williamsville.
- Clay Yarber, of Riverside, Calif., member of several Tampa Bay, Fla.-area bands over the past several decades.
- Four employees from the Amherst office of Northrup Grumman. The defense contractor declined to name the employees.

http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/39535247.html

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 12:51 AM

Cyclical menace of ice revisits aviation
By LARRY NEUMEISTER and ADAM GOLDMAN, Associated Press Writers Larry Neumeister And Adam Goldman, Associated Press Writers – Sat Feb 14, 7:35 pm ET

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Every time ice is suspected of bringing down a plane, the volume rises on how best to protect aircraft from the all-too-common and all-too-disastrous phenomenon. And each time, the conversation fades before significant changes are made.

Authorities caution that they're still investigating why Continental Connection Flight 3407 dropped out of the sky onto a house Thursday night, killing 50 people. But recordings show the crew was concerned about ice buildup on the windshield and wings shortly before the crash.

With planes carefully designed for aerodynamics, a buildup of ice can affect their lift and handling. A crash blamed on ice killed 68 people in 1994 in Indiana, another killed 29 people in 1997 in Detroit.

Investigators know the Buffalo plane's deicing system was turned on and say it appeared to be working. What they don't know is when it was activated or how much time the pilot had to react.

Planes are deiced before takeoff to remove any ice that collects beforehand. Sometimes, they must be deiced in the air as they descend and encounter the necessary mix of temperature and precipitation for ice to form.

If a midair deicing system isn't working, guidelines from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Foundation say pilots can take a number of steps, including changing speed, pulling the nose up or down, or trying a 180-degree turn to rid the plane of ice.

It's not known what steps the pilot in Thursday's crash might have taken if he was experiencing ice buildup. But the plane had been approaching the airport, and investigators said Saturday that it apparently was pointing in the opposite direction when it crashed.

Pilots of turboprop planes like those in the Buffalo-area crash must turn on their deicing equipment when they notice buildup. The NTSB wants to go a step further and require them to turn the equipment on when conditions are right for icing.

Then there's talk of an automated ice-detection system like those used in jetliners — but some automated systems can cost upward of $500,000, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The commuter plane that crashed near Buffalo, a Q400 Bombardier, was equipped with rubber bladders that can be inflated by the pilot to crack ice on the nose, wings and tail; the wind then sweeps away the cracked ice.

Many procedures and devices can help ensure icing is not dangerous, and pilots need to keep up on the latest developments, Chealander said.

"You can design everything in the world, but if the human being doesn't use all those things constantly and focus on them constantly, then you can have tragic consequences," he said.

"I'm not trying to draw any conclusions about this accident, I'm just saying in general, we can never let up our focus on all these types of things," he added.

Once activated on the newer model that the Buffalo pilot flew, the bladders inflate and deflate every 24 seconds automatically, a system that NTSB Vice Chairman Steve Chealander called "very sophisticated" at a Saturday briefing.

Not mentioning the Federal Aviation Administration by name, Chealander said the NTSB's recommendations to stiffen rules on deicing have gone unheeded for years.

"We don't like the progress that's taken place right now," Chealander told The Associated Press on Saturday.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said her agency has not ignored the NTSB recommendations and has issued more than 100 airworthiness directives since 1994 that address icing.

"Their concern is this is not happening quickly enough," Brown said. "As with any safety improvement that is significant, we have to go through rulemaking to get there. It takes time."

In 2007, the FAA proposed requiring better ways to detect ice buildup or let pilots know about conditions that could cause ice buildup — in future airplane designs.

It also proposed methods that could help automatically detect ice or potentially icy weather and cue the pilot to turn on deicers. The rule is in the final stages of executive review.

In big jets, crews use heat from the engines to warm the wings and prevent ice buildup. But smaller commuter planes like the 74-seater that crashed Thursday had no such option.

"The big planes are using it off their jet engines," said Justin T. Green, an aviation attorney in New York who has represented the families of victims of air disasters.

The threat of icing looms so commonly that Robert Benzon, the chief investigator of the January splashdown in the Hudson River of a US Airways jetliner, described it as a cyclical menace during an interview last month.

"You do a rash of wing icing accidents," he said. "We rattle our sword. The industry gets its act together and then as time passes, things start to slip and 10 years down the road you get another rash of this type of accident. It's a difficult thing to overcome."

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Adam Goldman in New York and Slobodan Lekic in Brussels, Belgium.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090215/ap_on_re_us/plane_into_home_ice

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 12:54 AM

NTSB: Plane didn't dive, but landed flat on house

CLARENCE, N.Y. – An investigator says the plane that crashed on a house in New York state landed flat on it and was pointed away from the airport where it was supposed to land.

Steve Chealander (CHEE-lan-duhr) said Saturday that Continental Connection Flight 3407 did not dive into the house, as initially thought.

Chealander says the New Jersey-to-Buffalo flight was cleared to land on a runway pointing to the southwest. But the plane crashed with its nose pointed to the northeast.

He also says the catastrophic nature of the crash means it could take three or four days to remove human remains.

Forty-nine people on the plane and one person in the house died in the fiery crash late Thursday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

CLARENCE, N.Y. (AP) — Crash investigators picked through incinerated wreckage Saturday, gathering evidence to determine what brought down a commuter plane that plunged into a home and exploded.

It could take days to recover all human remains from the plot of land where a single-family home stood before Continental Connection Flight 3407 nose-dived into it late Thursday, National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Steve Chealander said.

Experts were analyzing data from the black boxes, including statements by crew members about a buildup of ice on the wings and windshield of the plane, Chealander said.

But authorities have yet to pin that as the cause of the crash, which occurred during a light snow and mist, killing 49 people on the flight and one man in the home.

Ice on wings can cripple an aircraft and has been blamed for several previous plane crashes. Other aircraft in the area Thursday night told air traffic controllers it also experienced icing around the time that Flight 3407 from Newark, N.J., to Buffalo went down.

Icing is one of several elements being examined by investigators, who plan to remain in Buffalo for another week before shipping plane parts to locations around the country for study, Chealander said. A full report will likely take a year, he said.

"We're in the very early stages of the investigation," he said. "The icing and other things are just preliminary focuses."

One aspect of the investigation will focus on the crew, how they were trained and whether they had enough time to rest between flights. Other investigators focused on the weather, the mechanics of the plane and whether the engine, wings and various mechanics of the plane operated as they were designed to.

But recovery of the bodies will take priority over the investigation, Chealander said.

The remains-recovery effort was being led by Dennis Dirkmaat, a forensic anthropologist from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., and a nationally renowned expert who led the recovery effort after United Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pa., on Sept. 11, 2001.

The crash site remained off limits Saturday, with police barring reporters and photographers from the neighborhood.

Authorities still haven't released a list of the victims of the nation's first deadly air crash in 2 1/2 years, but reminders of the disaster were visible all around the Buffalo area.

Flags flew at half-staff outside Buffalo Niagara International Airport and at Clarence Town Hall, the site of a command center set up by police.

Family members of the victims were sequestered in a hotel Saturday where they were scheduled to meet with representatives of Continental Airlines. Police turned away reporters.

The 74-seat Q400 Bombardier aircraft was operated by Colgan Air, based in Manassas, Va. Colgan's parent company is Pinnacle Airlines of Memphis, Tenn.

____

Associated Press writers Carolyn Thompson, William Kates and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090215/ap_on_re_us/plane_into_home

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 12:57 AM

Investigator: Plane fell flat onto Buffalo house
By JOHN CURRAN, Associated Press Writer John Curran, Associated Press Writer – Sat Feb 14, 6:57 pm ET

CLARENCE, N.Y. – A commuter plane that smashed into a house apparently plunged flat to the ground rather than nose-diving, ending up pointed away from the airport it was trying to reach, investigators said Saturday.

Investigators did not offer an explanation as to why the plane ended up pointed away from the Buffalo airport, but it does raise the possibility the pilots were fighting an icy airplane: Air safety guidelines say pilots can try a 180-degree turn to rid a plane of ice.

Other possible explanations are that the aircraft was spinning or flipped upon impact.

Flight data showed the plane's safety systems warned the pilot that the aircraft was perilously close to losing lift and plummeting from the sky. The ensuing crash killed 49 people on the plane and one in the house.

Continental Connection Flight 3407 was cleared to land on a runway pointing to the southwest, but it crashed with its nose pointed northeast, said Steve Chealander, a National Transportation Safety Board member.

The Newark, N.J.-to-Buffalo flight didn't nose-dive into the house, as initially reported by some witnesses, Chealander said.

It will take as many as four days to remove human remains from the site, which he called an "excavation."

"Keep in mind, there's an airplane that fell on top of a house, and they're now intermingled," he said.

The plane — on its descent to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in a light snow and mist — plunged suddenly about six miles shy of the runway and exploded.

A "stick shaker" and "stick pusher" mechanism had activated to warn Capt. Marvin Renslow that the plane was about to lose aerodynamic lift, a condition called a stall. When the "stick pusher" engaged, it would have pointed the nose of the plane toward the ground to try to increase lift.

Crash investigators picked through incinerated wreckage Saturday, gathering evidence to determine what brought down the plane. Icing on the aircraft is suspected to have played a role, but officials have stopped short of calling that the cause.

Chealander said indicators lights showed the deicing equipment was working and that investigators who examined both engines said it appears they were working normally at the time of the crash.

Experts were analyzing data from the black boxes, including statements by crew members about a buildup of ice on the wings and windshield of the plane, Chealander said.

If a deicing system isn't working, guidelines from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Foundation say pilots can take a number of steps, including changing speed, pulling the nose up or down, or trying a 180-degree turn.

On Friday, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood had told him he believes the aircraft made a 180-degree turn at 5,000 feet.

But there could other explanations for why the plane was facing the wrong way.

Chealander said the NTSB would use data on the black boxes to determine whether the plane was in a flat spin before it crashed. Flight data indicated "severe" pitching and rolling before impact, so the violent nature of the crash also could have turned the aircraft around.

Other aircraft in the area Thursday night told air traffic controllers they also experienced icing around the time that the plane went down.

Icing is one of several elements being examined by investigators, Chealander said, adding that a full report will probably take a year.

DNA and dental records will be used to identify the bodies, he said.

One aspect of the investigation will focus on the crew, how they were trained and whether they had enough time to rest between flights. Other investigators focused on the weather, the mechanics of the plane and whether the engine, wings and various mechanics of the plane operated as they were designed to.

Initial visual inspection of the engines indicates they were working properly, Chealander said.

____

Associated Press writers William Kates, Larry Neumeister, Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Carolyn Thompson and John Wawrow contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090214/ap_on_re_us/plane_into_home

dan_uk

02-15-2009, 09:48 AM

http://www.buffalonews.com/galleries/gallery/578018.html?imw=Y

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 01:29 PM

Thanks for posting that link, Dan!!!

I've been trying to load and post pictures, but PhotoPhucket is giving me an attitude..

Still trying...

:biggrin:

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 01:37 PM

15 of 50 victims of Buffalo crash recovered
By JOHN CURRAN, Associated Press Writer John Curran, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 13 mins ago

CLARENCE, N.Y. – The remains of 15 people have been recovered from the wreckage of Flight 3407, authorities said Sunday as crews raced to finish their work before a snowstorm arrives later in the week.

Workers were back at the site at dawn Sunday, trying to retrieve remains of the 49 people aboard when the Continental flight crashed into a home in suburban Buffalo. The homeowner was also killed.

Erie County Executive Chris Collins said recovery efforts intensified after the arrival of additional federal workers. A forecast of snow for Wednesday added to the urgency.

A storm could hamper recovery efforts, but "the investigation will continue snow, rain or shine," said David Bissonette, the town's emergency coordinator.

Once all the remains are recovered, the focus will turn to removing wreckage of the 74-seat aircraft from the residential neighborhood where it went down Thursday night near the end of a flight from Newark, N.J.

About 150 people are working at the site six miles from the Buffalo airport. The blue tail of the 90-foot plane still sticks out from a mound of black ash and rubble.

The plane, flying through light snow and mist, crashed belly-first into the house, with the aircraft's nose pointed away from the airport.

Investigators did not offer an explanation, but the orientation raised the possibility that the pilot was fighting an icy airplane. Air safety guidelines says a pilot can try a 180-degree turn to rid a plane of ice.

Other possible explanations are that the aircraft was spinning or flipped upon impact.

According to flight data, the plane's safety systems warned the pilot that the aircraft was perilously close to losing lift and plummeting from the sky.

Recovery crews could need as much as four days to remove the remains from the site. Steve Chealander, a National Transportation Safety Board member, described the efforts as an "excavation."

"Keep in mind, there's an airplane that fell on top of a house, and they're now intermingled," he said.

Moments before the crash, a "stick shaker" and "stick pusher" mechanism had activated to warn the pilot that the plane was about to lose aerodynamic lift, a condition called a stall. When the "stick pusher" engaged, it would have pointed the nose of the plane toward the ground to try to increase lift.

Chealander said indicator lights showed that deicing equipment on the tail, wings and propeller appeared to be working and that investigators who examined both engines said it appears they were working normally at the time of the crash.

Experts were analyzing data from the black boxes, including statements by crew members about a buildup of ice on the wings and windshield, Chealander said.

The NTSB planned to use data on the black boxes to determine whether the plane was in a flat spin before it crashed. Flight data indicated "severe" pitching and rolling before impact.

Other aircraft in the area Thursday night told air traffic controllers they also experienced icing around the time that the plane went down.

Icing is one of several elements being examined by investigators, Chealander said, adding that a full report will probably take a year.

DNA and dental records will be used to identify the remains, he said.

One aspect of the investigation will focus on the crew, their training and whether they had enough time to rest between flights. Other investigators will focus on the weather and the mechanics of the plane.

___

Associated Press writers William Kates, Larry Neumeister, Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Carolyn Thompson and John Wawrow contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090215/ap_on_re_us/plane_into_home

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 02:50 PM

OKAY!!!!

Got PhotoPhucket working!!!!

Here's the plane and specs...

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/342-Plane_Into_Homestandaloneprod_a.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/690-Q400-overview2standaloneprod_af.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/6ecec4dd-a1c9-426b-80b5-182f4c12570.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/12345217278091.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/50040d30-14fb-4488-9b8c-f7686202-1.jpg

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 02:57 PM

There's the house...before and after...with aerial views.

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samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 03:03 PM

Some of the victims' families coming into Buffalo Niagara Airport.

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samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 03:08 PM

A moment of silence for the victims and their families at the Sabres/San Jose game at HSBC Arena.

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samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 03:40 PM

Strong sense of purpose drives investigators
Surreal landscape a hive of activity as probe evolves
By Lou Michel
News Staff Reporter
Updated: 02/15/09 11:13 AM

The blue and white airplane tail leans against a slender pine tree. It is about all that remains recognizable from Flight 3407.

And there is absolutely nothing left of the Wielinski family home where the plane crashed and burned in a fireball Thursday night.

A Buffalo News reporter drove past the site Saturday, struck by the haunting images.

More than 100 investigators and emergency personnel, many dressed from head to foot in white hazmat suits, walk amid blackened ruins of plane and home where 50 people died. A few of the workers unlock the belts that hold some of the dead still in their seats in the rear of the plane’s fuselage.

So far, 15 bodies have been recovered, although authorities say it may be four days before all human remains are recovered.

It is at once a stunning and shocking sight to see so many workers gathered in such a confined area, less than a third of an acre, painstakingly searching through the charred rubble.

Other emergency personnel, some in firefighter turnout gear, some in police uniforms protecting the perimeter, and still others in jackets that say “FBI” and “Medical Examiner,” all seem to have a coordinated sense of purpose amid the chaos of the wreckage.

No one gets in the way of the others. There seems to be a dutiful, somber camaraderie.

“It will become easier now that we learned how to do this,” said Dr. Anthony J. Billittier IV, Erie County’s health commissioner.

These workers are performing a task few others have the stomach to do, but they know how much it means to the victims’ families that want to be able to lay their loved ones to final rest with dignity.

Emergency vehicles packed with investigative equipment are parked up and down Clarence’s Long Street, which isn’t a very long street.

Workers encountered a frozen scene Saturday morning, caused in part by all of the water used to douse the fireball Thursday night.

Portable heaters thaw the site, and workers pump water from what had been the basement.

“What’s in the basement, it’s hard to know at this point,” Billittier said. “The cold has been a challenge for us.”

But the heat Thursday from the explosive crash was intense.

Flames fed by airplane fuel and natural gas destroyed most of the passenger cabin, and the fiercest impact was experienced in the cockpit.

“The crew was badly burned, but the remains of most were still intact. Toward the rear of the plane, it was in good shape. Some of the people were still sitting with their seat belts on,” said a law enforcement official at the scene Saturday.

He shares the grim image not to be morbid, but to make a point that the pilot somehow managed to right the plane from its erratic descent just before the crash.

“If the pilot had only another thousand feet, he might have come out of it,” the official said, shaking his head in despair at what can never be changed.

“The fuselage still has the shape of a tube. But toward the front, there’s nothing left but twisted metal framing. The way the plane came down, it dropped onto the left rear roof of the house,” he says.

The impact was devastating.

“We found a big cast-iron radiator that was thrown from the house and landed on a front lawn across the street,” said the official, who asked that his name be withheld. “When the plane crashed, it sent up mud splatters onto the roofs of two nearby houses.”

And what he and other workers could not help noticing is that what was left of the plane’s fuselage was pointed away from the direction of Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga, an indication of how out of control the plane was in its last seconds of flight.

The scene with so many people joining together to do their jobs, is mesmerizing, a flourishing beehive in the chill of a winter day.

Near the mound of ash and burned debris is a domed tent that is one of the hive’s busiest cells.

“What’s that?” the law enforcer is asked.

“Oh, that’s the temporary morgue,” the officer answers, his voice trailing off as he gazes at the tan-colored tent.

There is a great deal of respect among those working here, but it is a difficult task.

And to that, Billittier also shed some light.

“People who work in the Medical Examiner’s office have seen lots of things. Maybe they haven’t seen as much of it at one time,” he says of the scope of the crash.

The recovered bodies are taken from the tent morgue two at time and placed into transport vans that are driven with a police escort to the Erie County Medical Examiner’s office in Buffalo, where autopsies are performed.

Beginning today, as many as 40 more specially trained mortuary experts from as far away as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will be assisting.

They bring with them $2.8 million worth of equipment and supplies, including X-ray machines, masks, gowns, autopsy tables — in short, anything needed for a portable morgue.

That’s because even the victims may provide information to help create a more comprehensive picture of what happened on Flight 3407.

A few streets away on Goodrich Road, 13-year-old Katie Smith says she was about to go to bed when she heard the noise of the plane falling from the sky Thursday night.

“I heard the plane and looked out my bedroom window and heard a pop and saw reddish-orange glow,” she said.

Ken Smith, her father, said he also heard the pop and guessed that an airplane engine had blown.

“Then six or seven seconds later, I heard the crash,” Smith said.

He and his daughter and other neighbors have given statements to FBI agents combing the neighborhood.

Others, like Marcia Powers and Doug Errick, also recall hearing what they believe was engine trouble.

“It was around 10:20 p. m., and I jumped right up and said to my wife that plane’s way too low. There was an inconsistency in the engines. It was an erratic sound. Then I heard the boom and looked out my window and saw a pink glow in the sky,” Errick says.

Authorities have said the crew did not report any engine problems but did comment on ice on the plane.

Powers also heard the plane and wondered, at first, if it was a snowplow driving by. But she instantly ruled that out.

“No, it sounds like an engine fluttering. Then I heard a boom, and that was when we came outside and saw flames,” Powers says. “We went over to Long Street and heard screams. It was horrible. It smelled almost like the smoke you get from burning tires.”

Though these folks are only a few blocks from the crash site, it might as well be miles away, because Long Street will remain closed to the outside world for days as the workers methodically untangle the tragedy.

News Staff Reporter Patrick Lakamp contributed to this report.

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/579991.html

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 03:44 PM

Heartbroken relatives try to absorb shock
Updated: 02/14/09 11:35 AM

By Mark Sommer and Lou Michel NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Dazed family members and friends of loved ones killed in Continental Connection Flight 3407 huddled in small groups inside the Indigo Hotel in Amherst Friday.

They were still trying to absorb what was unthinkable just hours before.

Standing in hallways and the hospitality room were also a number of Continental Airlines employees mourning the loss of their comrades. Five crew members — four on-duty and one off-duty — were among the 49 people who perished on the Continental Express airplane.

Those in the hotel — most of whom had expected to greet loved ones on the Buffalo-bound plane from Newark Thursday night — instead found themselves early in the morning inside Cheektowaga Senior Citizen Center. They arrived by bus at around 3:30 a. m., and departed around noon, after being visited by Gov. David A. Paterson and local politicians, including Erie County Executive Chris Collins and Mayor Byron W. Brown.

The Rev. Angel L. Gauthier, of Prince of Peace Christian Church in Buffalo, who met with families inside the senior center, said overwhelming sadness filled the air.

“Walking in there was like being in the valley of suffering,” said Gauthier, also a chaplain with the Buffalo police and fire departments. “I was sharing a thought with a family member who lost a grandson, and he couldn’t stop weeping. All I did was hug him and cry with him.

“I tell you,” Gauthier said, “It’s going to be a day of mourning for all of us in Western New York, and all over the nation.”

Tight security kept family members from the media, as the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and area police cordoned off entry.

The governor shared stories of human dignity and heart-breaking sorrow at a news conference after meeting with the mourners.

Paterson said he was so impressed with the demeanor of a man who approached him to speak that it came as a shock when he learned he had lost his daughter on the flight.

Brown also was impressed by the man. After he stepped away, the mayor learned of the man’s loss, and felt humbled to be in the presence of someone with such composure and selflessness.

“He was so poised, warm and dignified,” the mayor said.

Brown was approached a moment later by two burly men who also wanted to thank him for being at the center.

“The one guy took out his City of Buffalo identification and said, ‘I’m one of yours,’ ” Brown recalled of the encounter. “He was with his brother and he told me, ‘I wanted to let you know my fiancee was on that plane.’ ”

At that point, the city worker broke down, and the mayor tried to provide what comfort he could.

“I told him I was sorry, and that I’d be praying for him,” Brown said.

And though law enforcement officers, ranging from FBI agents, state police and other federal investigators, were at the center, they found themselves putting aside investigatory questions to provide comfort and compassion to the families and friends of the loved ones, according to those in the room.

That measure of caring also was demonstrated by clergy, counselors and regular citizens, Paterson said, calling their compassion “a silver lining around a very dark tragedy.”

The governor noted how different things were at the recent “Miracle on the Hudson,” when a plane narrowly escaped a similar fate nearly a month ago.

“We’re all connected, and we find out how connected we are on days like this. We try to love our neighbors as we would love ourselves, but today we love our neighbors because we realize they are ourselves,” Paterson said.

As for the families of the deceased, some members have expressed an interest in wanting to visit the crash scene, but that will not happen immediately, according to Collins.

Arrangements, however, are being made to show the relatives aerial photographs that Collins took during a helicopter flight Friday morning above the scene.

The county executive said he understands the need of the families to want to see what happened.

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/579305.html?imw=Y

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 03:47 PM

Plane that crashed near Buffalo was on autopilot
By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press Writer

The commuter plane that crashed near Buffalo was on autopilot when it went down in icy weather, indicating that the pilot may have violated federal safety recommendations and the airline's own policy for flying in such conditions, a federal official said Sunday.

Steve Chealander, a National Transportation Safety Board member, said the company that operated the flight recommends pilots fly manually in icy conditions. Pilots are required to do so in severe ice.

"You may be able in a manual mode to sense something sooner than the autopilot can sense it," Chealander told The Associated Press in an interview, explaining why the NTSB also recommends that pilots disengage the autopilot in icy conditions.

The preliminary investigation indicates the autopilot was still on when the plane crashed, he said. That has not been confirmed by information from the plane's flight data recorder.

The pilots of Continental Flight 3407 discussed "significant" ice buildup on their wings and windshield just before crashing Thursday night in a suburban neighborhood near the Buffalo airport. Fifty people were killed.

The flight was run by Colgan Air, which operates a fleet of 51 regional turboprops for Continental Connection, United Express and US Airways Express.

In a December safety alert issued by the NTSB, the agency said pilots in icy conditions should turn off or limit the use of the autopilot to better "feel" changes in the handling qualities of the airplane.

Chealander also said Colgan, like most airline companies, had begun following NTSB recommendations that pilots use deicing systems as soon as they enter conditions that might lead to icing.

He said it was not yet clear exactly when the pilot on Flight 3407 turned on the plane's advanced deicing system.

Associated Press writers William Kates, Larry Neumeister, Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Carolyn Thompson and John Wawrow contributed to this report.

http://www.buffalonews.com/260/story/580381.html

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 03:51 PM

Donn Esmonde: Survival becomes a miracle
Updated: 02/15/09 07:21 AM
By Donn Esmonde
News Columnist

It is the miracle of Flight 3407. There is no other way to put it. Amidst the carnage, out of the wreckage, emerged two improbable survivors of catastrophe: Karen Wielinski and her daughter, Jill. Look at aerial photos of the blackened ground where Thursday night the Bombardier Dash 8 crashed into the house in Clarence Center.

You cannot tell that a house ever existed there. All you can see is the tail section of the plane, charred earth and scattered bits of wood. Yet of the three people in the house when the plane struck, only Doug Wielinski did not survive. His wife and his daughter got out, with little more than scratches.

I cannot believe it. You cannot believe it. DeAnna Hill cannot believe it.

And DeAnna Hill was there.

She lives with her husband, Bruce, and two kids a block from where the plane went down. They were at the scene a minute after hearing the impact. Hill was staring at the fireball, stunned, when a woman standing behind her screamed, “That’s my house.”

DeAnna Hill figured that the woman and her daughter, who had fallen to the ground, returned home to see the house in flames. They seemed shaken, but not bloody, burned or bruised. The possibility that the two had emerged from the inferno did not enter Hill’s mind.

“Not for a second did I think they had escaped from that fire,” Hill said. “In my mind, nobody could have gotten out of that house. There was no house. It was just a flaming airplane.”

Hill is 32, a nursing student with short, dark hair and a neighborly charm. She is not particularly religious, but what she saw Thursday night seems beyond logical explanation.

“I don’t believe in miracles, but this was like a miracle,” Hill told me Saturday afternoon. “There was definitely something [inexplicable] that helped them through that. There was no way anyone could have gotten out of there.”

We do not have to imagine it. We have seen for ourselves. The scene and Hill’s “Oh my God” utterance were captured on a neighbor’s cell phone video, and since played countless times on TV news footage.

This is no feel-good story. It is hard to talk about silver linings to this dark cloud, not when the cloud involves 50 lives obliterated — and hundreds of grieving sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, friends and loved ones.

But if there is one ray of light in this dark night, it is whatever act of God or fate or fortune that spared Karen and Jill Wielinski. Doug Wielinski — a husband and father — is gone. The house is destroyed, with every scrap of clothing and possession it contained. But, astoundingly, two people were spared.

What happened at 6038 Long St. is the local equivalent of the two cops at the World Trade Center, rescued from the rubble hours after the towers fell atop them. The larger story is grim. The smaller picture gives us something to cling to, to be grateful for, amidst the grief and devastation.

There must have been a few seconds between the instant of impact and the plane exploding. That is the only apparent explanation for the survival of mother and daughter. Hill and others say there were a series of explosions in the moments after the crash. Karen Wielinski told WBEN radio that the ceiling came down on her, and she crawled outside to find her daughter standing there.

DeAnna Hill has not slept much since the night of the crash. She keeps hearing Karen Wielinski screaming, “Someone help my daughter.” She keeps seeing Jill Wielinski, wrapped in her mother’s arms, then collapsing in shock. It all seems surreal, unbelievable. Like a scene from a movie. Like a piece of a miracle.

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/580025.html

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 03:53 PM

NHL, Sabres considered postponement
Updated: 02/14/09 01:00 AM
By Mike Harrington
NEWS SPORTS REPORTER

In the wake of the crash of Continental Flight 3407, the Buffalo Sabres had brief discussions with the National Hockey League about postponing Friday's game in HSBC Arena but ultimately decided the show would go on.

Speaking to the media during the first intermission of the Sabres' 6-5 shootout victory the San Jose Sharks, Sabres minority owner Larry Quinn said he took a call from NHL Vice President Bill Daly to discuss the situation.

"[Daly] first asked me if any team members, team personnel or family were involved," Quinn said. "I told him I didn't know but I was pretty sure there weren't. Then I had a conversation with [General Manager Darcy Regier] to take the pulse of the team and see what he thought. We thought it was best that we play the game.

"I explained to Bill that the plane crash was in an area where a lot of our people live. Once we made sure that nobody was directly affected on the team and their families, we felt it was best for the community to play the game."

With the HD video board above center ice set to black, the sellout crowd of 18,690 was stunningly quiet as the Sabres held a long moment of silence to honor the victims prior to the national anthems.

"I think that people want to be with other people in times like this," Quinn said. "I think the arena and the games here are really our town hall. It's the only place in town where people from different strata of society get together. ... People that aren't here are probably gathered in their family rooms watching the game, gathered with family, so I think it does have a nice community purpose to it."

Quinn said he went to bed early Thursday night and did not hear of the crash until his 30-year-old daughter, Molly Decker, called him at 5 a.m. Friday. She lives in New Jersey and Quinn said she regularly takes the same Continental flight.

"Although I didn't know anyone on the plane, it really did strike home with me," Quinn said.

Some Sabres players live within several hundred yards of the crash site in Clarence Center. Regier and coach Lindy Ruff both live about 2 miles away.

"Despite all the ups and downs we find in Buffalo, it's a very close-knit community," Quinn said. "I'm sure in a much bigger community they would feel the same way, but I don't think they'd be sitting around talking about a plane crash 500 yards from their players' houses. So it's very close to us."

Quinn said one of the vivid images he'll remember was a widely televised interview with the brother of Ellyce Kausner, the Florida law school student who was returning home to visit family.

"When I turned on CNN, I saw the young man talking about his sister who was lost on the flight," Quinn said. "The first thing I saw was he was wearing a Sabres hat and you realize how that connects the whole community."

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/579025.html

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 03:57 PM

Sabres provide a temporary reprieve
Buffalo bounces back with shootout victory
By John Vogl
NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
Updated: 02/14/09 12:05 AM

The Buffalo Sabres wanted to provide a break from the harsh realities of life, give a grieving and shocked community a few hours to gather together in a place of fun rather than a place of mourning.

Anyone who watched or attended the game Friday would agree they succeeded.

The Sabres and San Jose Sharks provided a dazzling hockey experience for a town that needed it. HSBC Arena was turned from safe haven into party central. And the ending provided the type of revelry of which Larry Quinn and the Sabres could only dream.

The Sabres, who blew a pair of three-goal leads to the best team in the Western Conference, found themselves in a 5-4 hole with the clock ticking toward zero. Then they recaptured the magic that endeared them to the community three years ago. They scored with 3.9 seconds left in regulation, and the much-needed happy ending was written in the shootout.

The Sabres earned a 6-5 victory, giving the 18,690 in attendance and the fans watching elsewhere a reason to smile for a little while.

"How ever so small this event was, it turned out to be a positive event," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "It was a happy ending. It was what we needed. ... We needed it. I think our fans needed it."

The NHL gave the Sabres the option of canceling the game. The league figured Western New York was severely affected by the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407. Minority owner Larry Quinn and General Manager Darcy Regier talked it over and decided people needed revelry and camaraderie.

"I think that people want to be with other people in times like this," Quinn said during the first intermission. "I think the arena and the games here are really our town hall. It's the only place in town where people from different strata of society get together. ...

"People that aren't here are probably gathered in their family rooms watching the game gathered with family so I think it does have a nice community purpose to it."

The Sabres, many of whom live near the crash site, did their best to make the observers smile. At the end, it was more than smiles.

"We're happy that we can be a bit of a distraction, but hockey is just a small part of life," goalie Ryan Miller said. "We just hope we add to the people's feeling of community and feeling of pride for being from Buffalo."

Buffalo needed less than 15 minutes to take a 3-0 lead. San Jose trimmed the deficit to 3-1 late in the first period, but the Sabres restored their three-goal advantage midway through the second.

The built it with their reeling power play. One game after a dismal 1-for-12 showing, the Sabres struck on their first three chances with the man-advantage. Obviously, spending all practice Thursday working on the power play paid off.

But there are plenty of reasons San Jose is considered the top team in the league. The Sharks showed them off as they climbed to within 4-3 after two periods and took the lead midway through the third.

The Sabres, though, were playing for more than two points.

"Nobody was not going to let us come back and tie this game for these people," said center Derek Roy.

Captain Craig Rivet, who already had two assists against his former team, fired a slap shot from the blue line as time ticked off. Jason Pominville, who hadn't found the net in 17 games, tipped the shot past goalie Evgeni Nabokov with 3.9 seconds left. Roars, hugs and high-fives came from every portion of the arena.

When Roy scored to give the Sabres the lead in the shootout and Miller made a glove stop on Milan Michalek, the fairy tale was complete.

"It's been a real tough day for all of Buffalo," Rivet said. "If it can somewhat ease the pain that's going to happen, I hope it helped."

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/579115.html

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 04:07 PM

Red Cross to open center for evacuees
02/15/09 06:53 AM

The Greater Buffalo Chapter of the American Red Cross will open an assistance center for families evacuated because of the crash from noon to 6 p. m. today and Monday in the Clarence Senior Center, 4600 Thompson Road.

An adult member of the family must provide photo ID listing current address to receive services.

•••

Members of Facebook are banding together to try to convince the ABC television show “Extreme Home Makeover” to come to Clarence and build the Wielinski family a new home.

The Wielinskis’ home at 6038 Long St. in Clarence Center was destroyed when Continental Flight 3047 crashed into it Thursday night.

Homeowner Douglas C. Wielinski died in the crash and fire. His wife, Karen, and daughter, Jill, survived. The Wielinskis have three other daughters.

News of the crash has generated sympathy around the world and online.

Two girls identified as students at Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart started the Facebook group, “Let’s Get Extreme Makeover to Build the Wielinski Family a New Home.”

The group had more than 2,800 members at one point Saturday evening, with more joining every minute and many offering their enthusiastic help.

The organizers put up a mailing address and links to Web sites for people interested in lobbying the show’s producers.

•••

Steven Chealander of the National Transportation Safety Board said that after speaking with some relatives of crash victims he realizes that some may think the response effort is going “painstakingly slow.”

“Unfortunately, we’re not like . . . a CSI show on television, where we can solve it all in one hour. This is a long process.”

He estimated it will take three or four days to recover all the victims.

The process was slowed a bit on Saturday after ice formed.

•••

The stretch of Goodrich Road near the crash scene that had been closed was expected to reopen in both directions at 6 a. m. today, Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard said.

“It’s not an invitation to the public for sightseers,” Howard said.

Motorists will not be allowed to park their vehicles on the shoulder of the road, he said.

Long Street and connecting roads near the crash site will remain closed, he said.

•••

A community prayer service will be offered at 11 a. m. Monday in Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church, 8445 Greiner Road, Clarence.

•••

Clarence Community & Schools Federal Credit Union has set up a fund for the Wielinski family, which lost its home and belongings in the crash of Flight 3407. Douglas Wielinski was killed but his wife, Karen, and daughter, Jill, managed to escape with only minor injuries.

Donations can be made payable to CCSFCU and mailed to 9145 Sheridan Drive, Clarence, NY 14031.

•••

Crisis Services has a 24-hour support hotline for people dealing with the impact of the crash of Flight 3407.

The organization has trained trauma counselors available for those having difficulty dealing with the accident. Staff is also available 24 hours a day to respond to homes, hospitals or other locations for crisis intervention and debriefing support.

Anyone can contact Crisis Services’ 24-hour hotline at 834-3131 for support and immediate linkage to its trauma response program.

•••

A crisis information briefing for Clarence residents will get under way at 1 p. m. today in the auditorium of Clarence High School, 9625 Main St. Issues to be addressed include property access, health concerns and stress-management awareness.

•••

Clarence residents have raised questions about environmental issues — with the smell of the burning plane and fuel still thick in the air.

“We did preliminary looks at groundwater runoff and air quality. We do not have any exposures outside of the norm at this point,” said David Bissonette, Clarence’s emergency services coordinator.

He encourages residents who have any questions to call town officials at 741-8930.

•••

Rep. Louise Slaughter, DFairport, on Saturday visited the command center in Cheektowaga, where dozens of emergency services officials continue to oversee the massive response effort. She toured the facility and met with numerous officials, including County Executive Chris Collins.

Slaughter wouldn’t disclose whether she planned on meeting with any families of the crash victims, citing the importance of protecting their privacy. But she said her visit to the command center affirmed her belief that emergency responders across the state do “extraordinary work.”

“They really put their lives at risk to save ours,” Slaughter told reporters. “I wanted to be here today to express my great pride in what they do and to certainly offer them any help.”

•••

A Kaisertown funeral home is opening its doors Thursday to give the public an opportunity to remember the families of the victims of Flight 3407.

The public is invited to Mason-Sittniewski Funeral Home, 154 Weimer St., from noon to 8 p. m. Thursday. A grief counselor will be available, said Kevin

M. Mason, who owns the funeral home.

http://www.buffalonews.com/515/story/580010.html

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 04:31 PM

Trying to go on without them
Updated: 02/15/09 09:04 AM
Heartbroken loved ones face with sorrow a day that had been filled with joyful plans
By Maki Becker and Steven T. Watson
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS

Maddy Loftus was supposed to hit the ice at Buffalo State College at an alumni reunion hockey game and grab food with friends at Pano’s and the Anchor Bar, two favorite Buffalo haunts from her college days.

Lorin Maurer was supposed to be at her boyfriend’s side as his brother got married at St. Louis Catholic Church in downtown Buffalo.

Beverly Eckert was supposed to present a scholarship to a Canisius High School student with a scholarship in honor of her late husband who was killed in the Sept. 11 terror attacks, meet with her fellow alumni at Sacred Heart Academy to plan their reunion, and join her husband’s family for dinner to mark what would have been his 58th birthday.

Instead, on this weekend that was supposed to be about candy hearts and a delightful extra day off for Presidents Day, the loved ones of those killed in the Thursday night crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 faced the sad, heartbreaking task of going about their plans without them.

Maddy’s game

At noon Saturday, Maddy Loftus’ old college friends and fellow members of the women’s hockey team took to the ice at the Buffalo State rink. For a day and a half, they had shared their grief and shock over the loss of their friend. But for the reunion game, they set aside their heavy hearts, broke out of their team huddles yelling “Maddy!” and then played with all their might.

“I think this is what Maddy would have wanted,” said Lindsay Welch, 24, who had roomed with Loftus during college. “She would want everyone to play.”

She pointed out two Bengals jerseys with No. 10 — Maddy’s number — displayed on the glass behind the team benches.

“They know she’s out there,” Welch said as she watched the hockey game from the stands. “She’s watching over everyone.”

Around Welch, several fans wore heart-shaped red buttons with the No. 10 and a little hockey puck painted on them in tribute to Loftus.

The reunion game was the first that Loftus, who lived in Parsipanny, N. J., had been able to return for since she left Buffalo State in 2004 after her sophomore year.

Her former teammates had made plans for a fun weekend together. They were going to play one game at their old ice rink, head out to dinner at a bar and grill on Elmwood Avenue and then dance the rest of the night away at a club downtown.

“Maddy loved to dance,” Emma Wadsworth, a friend and former teammate, recalled.

Wadsworth and Jamie Overbeck, a former teammate who is now an assistant women’s hockey coach at Buffalo State, were at Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Thursday night, waiting for members of the team to fly into town.

Overbeck was waiting for Loftus. Wadsworth was waiting for another teammate, Janelle Junior, who arrived at 9:20 p. m. from Seattle, followed 70 minutes later by her husband, James Junior, at 10:30 p. m. The Juniors went home with Wadsworth, not knowing that 10 minutes before James landed, Flight 3407 had crashed into a house less than five miles away.

Wadsworth and the Juniors learned the terrible truth when they got home and turned on the TV news.

“It was just disbelief,” Janelle Junior said. “Just praying she wasn’t on the plane. We saw it was from New Jersey and saw it was the time [Loftus] was getting in.”

Overbeck remained at the airport hours after the crash, knowing that the accident had happened but hoping that somehow her friend had survived.

Right after the crash, there was talk of canceling the game. But in the end, they knew they had to go through with it.

“I think we had to play,” Wadsworth said. “I don’t really think it was ever an option not to. It definitely crossed our minds . . . ‘What do we do now?’ The more we thought about it, it wasn’t realistic to not play. Maddy would . . . she would have been thoroughly disappointed if we hadn’t played today.”

They decided to dedicate the game to Loftus and all reunion games in the future would be called “Maddy’s Game.”

The women played Saturday before a small crowd of loyal fans. They were nearly outnumbered by the crush of local and national reporters and photographers for what was supposed to be a laid-back scrimmage.

As they played, the teammates said they couldn’t help but think of Loftus.

“She popped into my head the entire game,” Wadsworth said.

After the game, the women shook hands, removed their head gear, and gathered in a circle on the ice. They brought with them 10 long, white candles, lighting each before they knelt.

James Junior, a minister, led the women in a quiet prayer. Several wept, while other comforted the grieving with pats on the back. They wiped away their tears before arranging themselves for a team photo.

Wadsworth was later asked what she would think about when she received a copy of the photograph.

Breaking down in tears, she replied: “That Maddy wasn’t there.”

A missing guest

The Valentine’s Day wedding of Lauren Dunford and Keith Kuwik was held Saturday, though the day was tinged with sadness.

Lorin Maurer, 30, the girlfriend of Kuwik’s brother, Kevin, was traveling to Buffalo on Flight 3407 to attend the wedding.

The Kuwik brothers’ father, Edward J., a former Erie County legislator, said Saturday afternoon that the wedding would be held as planned.

Family members also told The Buffalo News that the bridal couple planned to place a single red rose on the altar at the church to honor Maurer.

Continued...

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 04:32 PM

A dogged advocate

Each year since her husband, Sean Rooney, died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Beverly Eckert came back to her hometown to celebrate his birthday.

This year, in addition to marking what would have been Rooney’s 58th birthday on Sunday, Eckert was to attend a ceremony at Canisius High School to award a memorial scholarship in Rooney’s name.

Eckert, 57, also was planning to meet with a number of her former classmates from Sacred Heart Academy to coordinate their 40th class reunion.

Instead, Eckert’s family and her friends in the close-knit communities of Canisius High School and Sacred Heart are mourning the loss on Flight 3407 of the dogged advocate for the families of those killed on 9/11.

But they also vow to continue with the events and initiatives that were important to Eckert.

“We are going ahead with [the 40th reunion], but it will be difficult,” said Kathleen Delaney, a classmate and close friend of Eckert. “But I know there will be a lot of good talk and laughter, because that’s the way she was.”

The ceremony for the Sean Rooney Memorial Scholarship was to be held Friday, but it was postponed, Delaney said.

The scholarship was established in 2002 and is given each year to a gifted but financially needy student, if possible a graduate of the Catholic Academy of West Buffalo or a West Side resident.

High school officials could not be reached Saturday, but the school posted a note recognizing Eckert on its Web site.

“Beverly was a lovely woman who spent the last several years working hard to take the tragedy of Sean’s death and have something positive come from it,” John Knight, the school’s president, said in a statement.

Delaney got to know Eckert so well in school because their last names were so close alphabetically that they often found themselves seated near each other in class.

Eckert was a gifted artist, Delaney said, and won the Voice of Democracy Award for a speech she gave as a junior.

“She had a wonderful sense of mischief, and she could drag anybody along with her,” Delaney said.

Delaney last spoke to Eckert on Wednesday night, and planned to have her over at her home Friday night for pizza and wine and lively conversation.

They planned to meet Saturday morning at the Sheridan Family Restaurant to go over details of the reunion with their classmates.

Instead, as word of Eckert’s death in the crash spread Friday, Sacred Heart classmates reached out to each other by phone and e-mail, and later met at the school.

Eckert was to receive the 2009 Distinguished Alumna Award from the school in May, and school officials plan to give the award posthumously, said Eileen Hettich, alumni relations coordinator.

“The award was to honor all the wonderful things she’s done,” Hettich said. “That’s not erased because God chose to take her now.”

Video of Maddy-

http://video.buffalonews.com/player/?id=116

Other videos-

http://video.buffalonews.com/player/

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/580029.html

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 04:35 PM

Two carriers stopped flights of prop planes in cold weather
Safety expert raps FAA for minimizing icing risks
By Jerry Zremski
NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF

WASHINGTON — Two airlines stopped flying turboprop planes in icy climates after deadly crashes similar to the one that claimed 50 lives Thursday in Clarence — and the nation’s former top transportation safety official said the lessons of such earlier crashes should have prevented last week’s tragedy.

Both American Eagle and Comair ended their cold-weather use of turboprop planes at least partly out of safety concerns. But Colgan Air, the subcontractor that runs Continental Airlines commuter flights like the one that crashed in Clarence, still flies turboprops in February from Newark to Buffalo.

Aviation experts said it is far too soon to blame the Clarence crash on icing, but the National Transportation Safety Board noted that the plane’s crew reported significant ice buildup on the plane’s wings.

Aviation experts said icing can cause a plane to suddenly lose control — which is why Jim Hall, the safety board’s former chairman, said federal regulators should do much more to make sure icing won’t bring down more planes.

“What made this crash more than tragic was that it was foreseeable and likely preventable if not for the preference of profit over safety in some of the aviation industry and for the lax oversight of the Federal Aviation Administration in its failure to adequately address known safety risks related to icing,” Hall said.

Neither Pinnacle Airlines, which owns Colgan Air, or Bombardier, the Canadian firm that built the Dash 8 Q400 plane that crashed in Clarence, returned requests for comment for this story.

But Laura Brown, an FAA spokesman, took issue with Hall’s comments, saying the FAA has been pushing for improvements to prevent icing accidents for years now.

“And as a result, accidents involving icing have been reduced significantly in the last 15 years,” Brown said.

‘Caribbean fleet’

Then again, they could have been reduced in part because two of the nation’s largest commuter airlines, American Eagle and Comair, stopped flying turboprop planes in cold weather.

After an American Eagle turboprop went down in icy conditions in Indiana in 1994, the airline “really made [turboprops] their Caribbean fleet,” said Jim Kreindler, an attorney who represented the families of victims of that Indiana crash, which claimed 68 lives.

American Eagle officials could not be reached to comment, but the National Transportation Safety Board’s report on that accident says the plane, en route from Indianapolis to Chicago, lost control because of ice accumulation. The ATR 72-210 turboprop was not equipped to handle icing and plummeted to the ground in Roselawn, Ind.

“The airplane was susceptible to this loss of control, and the crew was unable to recover,” the board’s report concluded.

As for Comair, that airline abandoned turboprops entirely after a Jan. 9, 1997, flight from Cincinnati to Detroit nose-dived 18 miles short of the runway, killing all 29 people aboard.

Comair eliminated turboprops from its fleet in the late 1990s because regional commuter jets are simply better aircraft, said Jeff Puth, a company spokesman.

“I’m sure there was a safety element to it,” Puth added.

After the Comair crash, the safety board issued a devastating report that echoed Hall’s comments holding the FAA responsible for the Clarence crash.

“The probable cause of this accident was the Federal Aviation Administration’s failure to establish adequate aircraft certification standards for flight in icing conditions,” said the report, which also blamed the FAA for failing to enforce proper deicing procedures and failing to require the establishment of adequate minimum airspeeds in icy weather.

Hall was chairman of the safety board at the time of both the Indiana and Michigan crashes, but he is by no means alone in warning of the dangers of icing, particularly for turboprop planes.

“Even a small amount of ice buildup can significantly decrease the lift force and increase the drag of an aircraft,” said Puneet Singla, Ph. D., assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University at Buffalo.

And the wings of turboprop planes are far more likely to encounter icing problems than jets are, for two reasons.

Turboprops fly at a slower speed, making it easier for ice to accumulate, said Kreindler, the lawyer in the lawsuit that followed the Indiana crash.

In addition, “turboprops spend a much larger percentage of time in those altitudes where icing is likely to occur,” said William R. Voss, a former FAA official who now serves as president of the Flight Safety Foundation.

Hall said he is particularly concerned about turboprop planes that are equipped with pneumatic deicing boots, which he, in an op-ed submitted to The Buffalo News, called “a technology invented in the 1930s which has not changed much since.”

The heated wing technology that jets use is much more effective in controlling ice, said Hall, who faulted the FAA for consistently ignoring the safety board’s recommendations for tighter icing controls on turboprop planes.

“The FAA should ground all aircraft of this type until the NTSB investigation is completed and it is clear they can be operated safely,” said Hall, who headed the safety board from 1994 through 2001.

But Brown, of the FAA, said: “I don’t think we have any information that would cause us

to ground the aircraft.”

Reforms slow

While Hall contended that the new model of the plane that crashed in Buffalo was not adequatedly tested before it was approved for use, Brown said that model included a modernized deicing system to meet an upcoming upgrade in the FAA’s standards.

Despite Brown’s contention that the aviation agency has toughened its standards on icing, the safety board says the FAA has ignored the safety board’s call for greater icing regulation for 12 years now. And neither Hall nor Steven Chealander, the safety board member who is currently in Buffalo to investigate Thursday’s crash, are pleased about it.

“The serious safety risks posed by icing conditions must be addressed for more than just the short term,” Hall said. “I hope that this accident will finally cause the FAA and the commercial aviation industry to take these risks seriously so that a tragedy such as this will not happen again.”

Meanwhile, at a news conference in Buffalo, Chealander held up a pamphlet that read: “NTSB Most Wanted List Transportation Safety Improvements,” which includes several recommendations regarding icing.

“They’re recommendations that we feel are being moved too slowly, or for other reasons, we feel needed added emphasis,” Chealander said.

For example, the safety board wants to require that airplanes with pneumatic deicing boots activate the devices earlier.

“The process has been to activate the boost system once you recognize that there’s ice formed on the wings. We recommend that you maybe turn it on sooner than that,” Chealander said.

At the same time, Chealander stopped far short of Hall’s comments, and far short of criticizing the turboprop plane that crashed in Clarence.

“This Dash 8 is a workhorse airplane,” he said, stressing that investigators have not yet identified icing as the cause of the Buffalo crash. “It’s not real susceptible to ice. It flies in ice all the time. I’ve talked to some Continental pilots today who fly it. That’s not a concern.”

Asked about the fact that two airlines have already stopped flying propeller planes in the Northeast due to icing conditions, Chealander wouldn’t comment.

“I don’t want to get into that, because then you’re going to come up with speculation and analyze [this accident],” he said.

News Staff Reporter Brian Meyer contributed to this report.

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/579988.html

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 04:38 PM

THE LATEST ON THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 3407
By WKBW Programming

Erie County Executive Chris Collins joined Emergency Responders at a Sunday morning news briefing to release the following information:

Goodrich Road opened at 6am Sunday in the area near the crash site.

Clarence Town Supervisor Scott Bylewski stated that the Town of Clarence remains in a limited state of emergency. Information can also be found at www.clarence.ny.us

New York State Police Captain Steven Nigrelli noted that the area near the crash site is under strict lockdown. Captain Nigrelli noted that the community has been very cooperative working with officials during the recovery effort. He warned that people that trespass inside the secured perimeter would risk arrest.

A meeting for residents of the Town of Clarence will be held Sunday at 1pm at the Clarence High School at 9625 Main Street.

County Executive Collins stated that a federal "de-morgue" team has arrived to assist the Medical Examiners office in the recovery of bodies. Collins noted that Dr. Anthony Billittier will deliver an update at 6pm at the Fire Tower Emergency Operations Center in Cheektowaga.

Clarence Emergency Coordinator Dave Bissonette stated that the area officials are working in to recover bodies at the area where the plane crashed is approximately 70 by 120 feet, where more than 150 people are working.

The Buffalo Chapter of the American Red Cross has opened an Assistance Center from Noon - 6pm at the Clarence Senior Center for residents displaced from their homes due to the crash.

Steve Chealander from the NTSB will update the media at a 4pm news conference Sunday where some analysis of the 2 black boxes is expected.

FROM SATURDAY:

The area surrounding the site of the plane crash in Clarence Center, NY remains secured. New York State Police, Erie County Sheriffs, NFTA, and other local police agencies are keeping the area near Clarence Center Road, Roll Road, and Long Street tightly guarded.

Officials from the NTSB, the FBI, and teams from Erie County continue to search for remains at the site.

Individuals have been warned against taking videotape or pictures inside the secured perimeter. Several arrests have been made near the crash site, with police taking cameras or cell phones that included any images taken from inside the secured area.

Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Anthony Billittier told Eyewitness News that the effort to recover the remains of the victims will take several days. Dr. Billittier noted that there is a system being used to 'grid' the crash site as recovery experts sift through the site. As of Saturday night, officials report that 15 bodies were recovered from the scene.

On Monday, The Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church Pastor Carl Eastlack will host a Community Prayer Service. The event is scheduled to begin at 11am at 8445 Greiner Road in Clarence. Monday February 16th is the Presidents Day holiday and many are expected to attend.

Steve Chealander of the National Transportation Safety Board held a news conference at the Buffalo Marriott Hotel in Amherst, NY Saturday afternoon to outline the latest information the NTSB has.

During this news conference, Mr. Chealander outlined that the crash site on Long Street in Clarence Center where Continental Flight 3407 crashed is now considered an "excavation" site.

Mr. Chealander noted that 3-4 days may be needed to recover the victims of the crash, and wanted to move this process along before a predicted snowfall takes place in the middle of next week.

It was noted that parts of the plane crashed into the basement of the home that was hit, and that recovery workers are securing the site and handling the recovery effort with detail and respect for the victims.

Mr. Chealander explained that the plane tail was de-iced, and that the flight was delayed due to high winds in Newark, NJ before taking off Thursday night.

The NTSB investigation so far indicates that the plane did not crash totally nose down, and that it was laying flat. The investiagors believe that the plane was looking to approach runway 23 which is SW of the crash site, however the plane was oriented in a NE direction.

Mr. Chealander indicated that the CVR and Flight Data Recorder indicated that a "stick pusher" was activated and explained that the plane was flying on "auto pilot" until the "stick pusher" was activated so pilots could manually fly the plane during this time.

http://www.wkbw.com/news/flight3407/39535247.html

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 05:00 PM

Three Arrested at Scene of Buffalo Plane Crash

CLARENCE, N.Y. (AP) - New York State Police say three people
have been arrested trying to gain access to the site where a
commuter plane crashed in Clarence, killing 50 people.
Nineteen-year-old Thomas Woodman, of Clarence, was charged with
trespassing Friday after troopers found him inside the restricted
area, hiding behind a home and videotaping the crash site.
Sixty-three-year-old Paul R. Brenton, of Clarence, was arrested
after allegedly trying to gain access to the area and then
threatening a police officer. Police say he was intoxicated.
Fifty-one-year-old Donald Krawczyk, of Clarence, was charged
with drunken driving after approaching a roadblock.

http://www.wkbw.com/news/flight3407/39622677.html

Some people just have no respect...

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 05:05 PM

One2Snoop

02-15-2009, 05:06 PM

This is so sad - my thoughts and prayers go out to the family members.

My brother-in-law was killed in a Continental Express plane crash in Durango, 1988. It turned out to be pilot error.

http://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/aviation2_press/continental_1988.php

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 05:33 PM

Crews Race to Recover Bodies From Crash

CLARENCE, N.Y. (Feb. 15) — Authorities say 15 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of Flight 3407 near Buffalo as recovery crews race to finish their grim work before a snowstorm arrives later in the week.

Workers were back at the site at dawn Sunday, trying to retrieve the remains of the 49 people on board when the Continental flight crashed into a house Thursday night. The homeowner also died.

Once the remains are recovered, the focus will turn to removing wreckage of the 74-seat aircraft from the suburban neighborhood where it went down near the end of a flight from Newark, N.J.

About 150 people are working at the site near the Buffalo airport. The tail of the plane sticks out from a mound of black ash and rubble.

Investigators are reviewing whether ice contributed to the crash.

http://news.aol.com/article/crash-survivors/342959

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 05:36 PM

2 Women Flee When Plane Hits Home

CLARENCE, N.Y. (Feb. 13 ) - A woman who survived a commuter plane crashing into her suburban Buffalo home said Friday she and her daughter were watching television when the aircraft smashed through the roof, pinning them in the wreckage and likely killing her husband.

Karen Wielinski told Buffalo radio station WBEN-AM that she was in the family room of her home in Clarence and her 22-year-old daughter was in an upstairs bedroom when the Continental Airlines commuter plane crashed into their home. Officials have said all 49 people on board and one person in the home were killed, but haven't released victims' names.

"Planes do go over our house, but this one just sounded really different, louder, and I thought to myself, 'If that's a plane, it's going to hit something,'" Wielinski said in a telephone interview. "The next thing I knew the ceiling was on me."

Wielinski, 57, said she pushed her way out of the debris and crawled through a hole in the wreckage as fire erupted around her. She said her daughter, Jill Wielinski, managed a similar escape.

She said she still hasn't been told of the fate of her husband, Doug, who was in another part of the house.

Doug Wielinski, a 61-year-old engineer and Vietnam veteran, was probably in the dining room, his wife said.

"To me it looked like the plane just came down in the middle of the house and unfortunately that was where Doug was," she said.

Wielinski, a secretary for the Clarence school district, choked up when she spoke about her husband.

"He was a good person, loved his family," she said.

Wielinski said she suffered a fractured collar bone and Jill suffered scratches on her feet. They were treated at a local hospital and released.

http://news.aol.com/article/crash-survivors/342959

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 05:53 PM

Sunday prayer and
memorial services
At the Zion Lutheran Church

Updated: Sunday, 15 Feb 2009, 11:01 AM EST
Published : Sunday, 15 Feb 2009, 9:24 AM EST

CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) - There is a wake thurs & fri from 2-4 and 7-9 at Amigone funeral home at on Main street in Wmsvl. (one block from the corner of Harris Hill) The funeral will be friday at 10:30 at Nativity right at the corner of Harris Hill and Main.

Zion Lutheran Church in Clarence invites the community for Sunday prayer services in remembrance of the victims. Services are scheduled for Sunday at 10:45 am and 6pm. Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church will also hold a memorial service Monday morning at 11. Everyone is invited to attend.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Sunday_prayer_services_in_Clarence_20090215

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 05:57 PM

Flight showed no
distress before crash
Plane showed no signs of distress
before crash

Updated: Saturday, 14 Feb 2009, 4:06 PM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 4:35 PM EST

* Melissa Holmes
* Posted by: Emma Orn and Emily Lenihan

CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) - We're all struggling to absorb the enormity of the tragedy that struck far too close to home Thursday night.

"Either State Police of Sheriff's Department needs to find if anything is on the ground. This aircraft was five miles out and all of a sudden we have no response from that aircraft," said an Air Traffic Controller.

It's a mystery. Continental Flight 3407 from Newark showed no sign of distress before it plunged from the sky and crashed into a home in Clarence around 10:20 last night.

A witness said, "It sounded like the engine was sputtering and the next thing you know it cut out and it hit and it was a big ball of flames.))

All 49 on-board lost their lives- 44 passengers, 4 crew members, and 1 off-duty pilot reportedly from Jamestown. Doug Wielinski, a resident of 6038 Long Street, also perished. His wife Karen Wielinski, and the couple's 22-year-old daughter, Jill, escaped the home with minor injuries.

Hours after the crash occurred, National Transportation Safety Board investigators were able to collect the plane's black boxes from the tail. They've analyzed the cockpit voice recorder and found the crew discussed snow and mist conditions. They put on the de-icer, but problems persisted.

"The crew discussed significant ice buildup, ice on the windshield and leading edge of the wings," said NTSB Spokesman, Steve Chealander.

The victims identities are slowly being revealed. Among them, Chris Kausner's sister, Ellyse. He had to break the news to his parents vacationing in Florida.

Chris Kausner said, "To tell you the truth I heard my mother make a noise on the phone that I've never heard before."

Thoughts and prayers from around the world are going out to the victims and their families. But for western New Yorkers, this tragedy has hit too close to home.

Governor David Paterson said, "We try to love our neighbors as we would love ourselves. But today we love our neighbors because we realize they are ourselves."

The flight data recorder also captured the plane experienced a significant 'pitch and roll' right before the crash. NTSB officials have no ruled icing the cause of the crash. The investigation is just beginning.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Flight_showed_no_distress_before_crash_20090213

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 06:26 PM

Plane that crashed dropped 800 feet in 5 seconds

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A federal aviation official says the commuter flight that crashed and killed 50 people near Buffalo dropped 800 feet in five seconds shortly before impact.

Steve Chealander (CHEE-lan-duhr), a National Transportation Safety Board member, says information from the plane's flight data recorder indicates the aircraft pitched upward at an angle of 31 degrees then downward 45 degrees in the final moments of Flight 3407.

He says the plane rolled to the left at 46 degrees then snapped back to the right at 105 degrees.

At a Sunday briefing, Chealander says radar data shows Flight 3407 fell from 1,800 feet above sea level to 1,000 feet in five seconds.

The plan crashed flat on top of a house, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090215/ap_on_re_us/plane_into_home

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 06:32 PM

Players reunite and
remember
This game wasn't about scoring goals

Updated: Saturday, 14 Feb 2009, 7:50 PM EST
Published : Saturday, 14 Feb 2009, 6:06 PM EST

* Joe Arena
* Posted by: Emily Lenihan

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - From the opening face off to final handshakes this game wasn't about scoring goals, it was about their friend.

The reunion game from now on will be Maddy's game.

Madeline Linn Loftus never made it to the game, or had the chance to catch up with her friends and teammates this weekend, she was on flight 3407. Her friends played the reunion game today, but heavy hearts say their wasn't a moment Maddy wasn't on their minds, especially during the final one minute of the game

All I could think of is this final minute is for Maddy and this is her game and just go as hard as you can because she would go as hard as she could.

Years earlier while Maddy was still in high school, in her home town of New Jersey, Maddy proved how hard she could go, by becoming the only girl on a an all-boys hockey team.

"Whether it was a boys team or a girls team she was going to succeed," said Maddy's friend Emma Wadsworth.

Moments after the game the players formed a circle took a knee and held ten candles, for maddys number, They prayed, they cried, and as a group held on to the little piece of Maddy left in all of them as their task now is much more difficult than anything they could deal with at the office or on the ice.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Players_reunite_and_remember_20090214

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/443-bn-20090215-B001-tryingtogoonwi.jpg

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 06:36 PM

Flight change saves one
life

Updated: Saturday, 14 Feb 2009, 11:15 PM EST
Published : Saturday, 14 Feb 2009, 10:58 PM EST

ALLEGANY, N.Y. - One Western New Yorker is still shaking her head in disbelief that somehow she is alive tonight.

When Michelle Cheseboro sees the images of Continental Flight 3407, she realizes she is one lucky woman.

"One of my co-workers called to see if I was alright and I said 'Yeah' and I later pulled up my itinerary and discovered that was the flight I was supposed to be on." Michelle explains. Michelle was booked on the plane that fell from the sky on to a house in Clarence Center Thursday night.

FIfty dollars - the cost of changing the flight - was what saved Michelle's life.

At home in Allegany, Michelle remembers the sequence of events that day, "I was able to go the airport early in the morning and change my flight. When we took off, they said there were wind gusts up to 70 miles an hour."

Investigators revealed Saturday that the wind in Newark also delayed flight 3407.

Michelle admits that her flight was fearful, "I am just thankful that I wasn't on that other flight."

She can smile because she's lucky, "I even played the lotto last night." she said.

"I am thinking that I am thankful to be alive and that you have to be grateful every day you can be here. A lot of my friends and family members - I just give them a big hug and tell them 'Thank you' for being you." she says.

Michelle says that while she is grateful she changed her flight, she cannot forget those who perished. Her thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Flight_change_saves_one_life_091214

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 06:38 PM

Nightmare for family
inside home
Fund for family has been set up

Updated: Saturday, 14 Feb 2009, 4:11 PM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 10:25 PM EST

* Written by: Mark Parrotte Posted by: Emily Lenihan

CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) - A normal night at home instantly turned into a nightmare for the family inside the house that the plane barrelled into.

"And happened to notice a little light on the right of me," said Karen Wielinski.

That tiny bit of light was Karen Wielinski's ray of hope. She had survived the impact of the plane striking her Long Street home in Clarence Center.

Karen told WBEN radio how she got out.

"And pushed off what was on me and crawled out the hole," Karen said.

Karen's 22-year-old daughter, Jill, was upstairs in the front of the house when the plane hit. She too miraculously survived and found and opening.

Karen said, "To me it looked like the plane came down in the middle of the house, and unfortunately that's where Doug was."

Karen's husband, 61-year-olf Doug Wielinski did not make it out. Karen says Doug was in the dining room working on his beloved sports memorabilia.

The Wielinskis are well known in the Clarence School District where Karen is a secretary. Doug, and engineer and a Vietnam Veteran.

"He frequently came to school to do lectures on Vietnam. The students were always enthralled to hear lectures. Just a vibrant, good person," said Dr. Thomas Coseo, Superintendent of Schools.

A fund has been set up for the Weilinski family.

Donations can be dropped off at the Clarence Community and Schools Federal Credit Union at 9145 Sheridan Drive, P.O. Box 657. Clarence, New York, 14031.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Nightmare_for_family_inside_home_20090213

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 06:40 PM

Mayor Byron Brown's
statement
On the tragedy of Flight 3407

Updated: Saturday, 14 Feb 2009, 5:50 PM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 1:31 PM EST

* Victoria Hong
* Posted by Kate McGowan

Clarence, N.Y. (WIVB) - Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown issued a statement.

He said, "My wife Michelle and I are very saddened by the tragic crash that occurred last night just outside the city of Buffalo. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims of the crash.

He also said, "My administration will do everything it can to assist in helping Erie County, other municipalities and agencies involved in the post-crash investigation."

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Mayor_Byron_Browns_statement_20090213

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 06:41 PM

A neighborhood changed
forever
The scene keeps playing out in minds
of neigbors

Updated: Saturday, 14 Feb 2009, 7:51 PM EST
Published : Saturday, 14 Feb 2009, 6:43 PM EST

* Michele McClintick
* Posted by: Emily Lenihan

CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) - Thursday's crash forever changed the neighborhood where it happened.

It also left an indelible impression on the people who live within sight of the home destroyed by the plane.

Paul and Michele Beiter are on their way back to their Long Street home. They've only back once since the crash Thursday night.

"We can kinda see the scene from our upstairs window and it's just ash," said Michele Beiter.

The whole scene keeps playing out in their minds. Paul was in the kitchen that night and Michele was in the living room. They both heard the loud whirring sound that came right before impact.

Michele said, "The sound stopped. I turned my head and the whole house was engulfed in flames, the WHOLE house."

The Beiters didn't realize what had happened. At first, Paul thought it was some type of gas explosion.

"The flames were so high and so hot you could feel them inside our house," Michelle explained.

They wanted to get their three children out of the house.

Paul said, "So I ran up and tried to wake them up and ran outside and then I could see what I thought was the wing of the plane which we now know was the tail of the plane."

Then something extraordinary happened. Karen and Jill Wielinski were able to escape.

Michelle said, "To see Karen and Jill show up on our front lawn within five minutes was just amazing and I couldn't figure out where they came from I thought they were maybe walking around the neighborhood or something or somewhere else."

Karen's husband, Doug didn't make it out in time.

"You know they didn't say a lot and we didn't ask them a lot of questions, they were really concerned about Doug," said Michele.

He along, with 49 others died in the crash.

Their home on Long street became a focal point as residents tried to stay upwind from the smoke.

As they go back to a neighborhood that will forever be changed, they think about their good friend and neighbor Doug and the rest of the families who lost family members.

"Our lives are inconvenienced, but theirs are forever changed," said Paul.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/A_neighborhood_changed_forever_20090214

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 07:06 PM

UPDATE: The NTSB says that flight data shows the crew of Continental Flight 3407 discussed 'significant ice buildup' on wings before deadly NY crash.

We are releasing the names of passengers as they become available. Victims names are listed in order of most recent update. If you know the name of a loved one whose name does not appear below, please call us at 716-849-2200

List of victims:

- Bethany Kushner (19) of Angola, graduate of Eden Junior/Senior High Schools. She is survived by her parents, brother Joe, and sister Megan. She attended Buffalo State and Keuka colleges and was just returning from several weeks spent in California.

- David M. Borner (49) of Pendleton.

- Ronald Gonzalez (44) of New Brunswick, NJ.

- Clay Yarber (62) of Riverside, California, who was visiting a friend and his son in Buffalo.

- Brad Green Sr. of East Amherst, NY

- Mary Pettys (50) of West Seneca, NY. She is survived by her father, fiance, brothers and sisters, and numerous other family members and friends. She worked for Blue Cross of Western New York for 26 years. She was a manager of project management at Trizetto and a registration coordinator for the Buffalo chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

- Lorin Maurer (30) of Princeton, NJ., worked in development office at Princeton University.

- Jean Srnecz (59), Senior Vice-President of Merchandising for multi-media publisher Baker & Taylor, and a graduate of D'Youville College in Buffalo.

- Jerome Krasuski (53), of Cheektowaga employed with Northrop Grumman.

- Darren Tolsma, employed with Northrop Grumman.

- Ronald Davidson (66) and Linda Davidson (61) of Westfield, NY. She worked for years as a nurse at Westfield Memorial Hospital's cardiac and physical rehabilitation clinic. He was a very active volunteer at the Westfield Community Soup Kitchen. Both were lifelong residents of Westfield, NY.

Shawn Mossop (12), his parents Dawn and Donald Mossop of Bloomfield, NJ. and Dawn's sister Ferris Reid.

- Two members of the Chuck Mangione Band: Gerry Niewood (64) and Coleman Mellett (34) of East Brunswick, NJ. According to his MySpace page, Niewood was a graduate of the Eastman School of Music who played saxophone, flute, piccolo an clarinet. He lent his musical talents many famous artists, including Chuck Mangione, Simon and Garfunkel, Sinead O'Connor and Anne Murray. Mellett's MySpace page indicates he grew up in Washington, DC. He had been a guitarist in the Chuck Mangione Band since 1999. He attended the jazz programs at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and William Paterson University in New York City before earning his Master in Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 1998.

- Pilot, Capt. Marvin Dean Renslow (47) of Lutz, Florida. He joined Colgan Air in September 2005 and had flown 3,379 hours with the carrier. He was married with two children.

- First flight officer Rebecca Lynne Shaw (24), Maple Valley, Washington. She joined Colgan just over one year ago, in January 2008, and had flown 2,244 hours with the carrier. According to an Associated Press report, she graduated from Tahoma High School in Covington, WA in 2002. A district spokesman says she was active in volleyball, softball and student leadership. She attended college at Central Washington University in Ellensburg. She graduated in 2007 with a major in flight technology and a minor in philosophy. She worked briefly as a flight instructor in Mesa before going to work for Colgan. She is survived by numerous family members and her husband, Troy.

- Flight attendant Matilda Quintero (57) of Woodbridge, NJ. According to a report in Rochester NY's Democrat and Chronicle, she joined Colgan less than one year ago, in May 2008. She is survived by a brother (Sal Poidomani), two daughters (Catherine Steers and Cecilia Quintero), a boyfriend (Jim Ferris) and numerous family and friends. Her family says she was passionate about traveling, cooking, and entertaining. She was a breast cancer survivor.

- Flight attendant Donna Prisco.

- Capt. Joseph Zuffoletto (27), off-duty crew member from Jamestown.

- Beverly Eckert, a 9/11 and former Amherst resident. She became a tireless advocate for 9/11 victims after her husband, Sean Rooney, was killed in the Twin Towers. She was a founding member of the activist group, Voices of September 11. She and three dozen other 9/11 family members had just met with President Obama last week. She was on her way back to Buffalo to mark her husband's birthday by awarding an annual scholarship in his name at Canisius High School. She graduated from Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart in 1969, where she was to be honored this May with the 2009 Distinguished Alumnae Award. After graduating from Buffalo State College, she went on to become a Vice-President at General Re, a Fortune 500/Berkshire Hathaway Company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.

- Alison Des Forges (66), former professor from the University at Buffalo, historian and activist. She is best known for her work in trying to call attention to genocide, kidnappings and civil rights violations in Rwanda in the early 1990s. She was a senior adviser to the New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch's Africa division for more than 20 years. She is survived by her husband, who is also a University at Buffalo professor.

- Ellyce Kausner (24), graduate of Canisius College and Clarence High School.

- Madeline "Maddy" Loftus (24) a former Buffalo State College student who lives in New Jersey. She was headed home to play with her former teammates in the Buffalo State Women's Hockey Annual Alumni Game.

- Susan Wehle (55), cantor at Temple Beth Am, Amherst.

- Don McDonald (48) of Fort Erie, ON and a technical manager at Pharmetics.

- Zhaofang Guo (55) of Amherst, a Ford Employee.

- John G. Roberts (48) formerly of Lewiston.

**Douglas Wielinski (61) of Clarence Center, NY was not a passenger but was killed when Flight 3407 crashed into his house.

Concerned family members should call Continental Airlines at 1-800-621-3263.

Residents in Clarence should call (716) 741-8930.

Facebook Group for Victims' Family, Friends & Community Support:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=50653778732

"Continental extends its deepest sympathy to the family members and loved ones of those involved in this accident," said Larry Kellner, chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines. "We are providing our full assistance to Colgan Air so that together we can provide as much support as possible for all concerned. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the family members and loved ones of those involved in the flight 3407 tragedy."

People living in Clarence who are unable to get to their homes or who have been evacuated should call the Clarence Senior Center at 633-5138.

The Cheektowaga Senior Center has also opened its doors for family members of the victims, offering grief counseling. If you have any questions call the Senior Center at 686-3930.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/breaking/story.aspx?storyid=64153&catid=298

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 07:12 PM

Update: Public Memorial Services Scheduled For Flight 3407
Posted By: Michael Wooten Posted By: Jennifer Radomski

Sunday, February 15th:

St. Gregory the Great Church will hold a mass and prayer service beginning at 9:30 A.M.

At 11:00 A.M. the Chapel at CrossPoint will hold its mass and have a special prayer service dedicated to Brad Green Sr. and other victims of Flight 3407.

St. Peter's Episcopal Church located at 12 Elm Street will hold a memorial mass for Ron and Linda Davidson at 3:00 p.m.

In addition, Town of Clarence Officials have scheduled a Public Crisis Meeting to address address the concerns of Clarence Residents at 1pm in the Clarence High School Auditorium.

Monday, February 16th:

The Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church will host a Community Prayer Service held at the Church located at 8445 Greiner Rd. in
Clarence starting at 11 a.m.

Thursday, February 19th:

The Mason-Sittniewski Funeral Home will host a public memorial service from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. to remember the victims of Flight 3407. The funeral home is located at 154 Weimar Street at Casimir Street in Buffalo.

The public is invited to attend and also drop off sympathy cards that will be delivered to the victims' families. Also, the funeral home will provide each mourner a prayer card. Daniel LaRussa, the grief counselor for the funeral home, will be on hand to help people coping through this tragedy. If you would like more information, contact Funeral Director Kevin Mason at 716-362-0199.

Sunday, February 22nd:

St. Joseph's Church located at 3275 Main Street in Buffalo will hold a service dedicated to Alison DesForges beginning at 3:00 p.m. If you have any questions contact Helene Kramer at 866-3876.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/breaking/story.aspx?storyid=64190&catid=298

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 07:14 PM

NTSB Update: Plane and Passengers Went Through Violent Motions Before Crash
52 mins ago

The National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday that Flight 3407 nosed up and down and pitched left and right in such violent motion, that passengers and crew were subjected to forces approaching 2 G's. Steve Chealender, NTSB spokesman, said when the plane started its up and down, and left and right motions were dramatic. They ranged from the nose of the plane pitching up 31-degrees, to then pitching down 45-degrees. It also rolled left up to 46-degrees, and to the right 105-degrees. In addition, at one point as the plane was descending, Chealender said the plane dropped from an altitude of 1,800 feet to 1,000 feet in a matter of five seconds. Chealender also said the weather in Buffalo that night was not the reason the flight was delayed out of Newark. The flight was delayed because of windy conditions at the Newark airport.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/breaking/story.aspx?storyid=64209&catid=298

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 07:20 PM

Temporary Plane Crash Memorial Site Established

As Western New Yorkers continue to mourn the loss of 50 lives in the crash of Continental Flight 3407, a temporary memorial site has been set up for those who want to express their sympathy.

Flowers, notes and other items left at various locations throughout the area are being gathered and taken to a single location at the Clarence Center United Methodist Church.

The church is located at Clarence Center and Herr Roads. Members of the congregation will care for the site for the immediate future.

Once the crash site is accessible, the church will respectfully move all the items to the scene.

Anyone wanting to express sympathy by adding to the memorial is invited to place them at the church at any time.

Several area funeral homes will also be collecting condolences for the crash victims in the coming week.

A remembrance book for members of the general public to sign, as well as memorial cards, will be available from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM daily - Monday, February 16 through Friday, February 20 - at Buszka Funeral Home. Buszka is located at 2005 Clinton Street, at the corner of South Ogden, in Buffalo. Well-wishers may also submit their condolences online a Buszka Funeral Home's website. Anyone with questions may call 825-7777.

The Mason-Sittniewski Funeral Home, located at 154 Weimar Street in Buffalo, will be collecting cards and memory boards for the victims' families on Thursday, February 19 from 12:00 to 8:00 PM. Mason-Sittniewski will also offer prayer services and professional grief counseling on that day. Anyone with questions may call 362-0199.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/specials/Flt3407/story.aspx?storyid=64192&catid=299

samanthajane13

02-15-2009, 07:22 PM

Funerals & Memorial Services for 3407 Victims
Posted By: Rachel Kingston

We have begun to learn about the funeral arrangements and memorial services being organized for the victims of the Continental Flight 3407 crash.

As details begin to emerge, be sure to keep checking in with wgrz.com for updated information.

The following services have been scheduled:

- Calling hours for Mary Pettys will be held Tuesday, February 17 from 2:00 to 8:00 PM at James W. Cannan Funeral Home - located at 3155 Orchard Park Road in Orchard Park. A mass of Christian burial will be held on Wednesday, February 18 at 9:00 AM at Queen of Heaven Church in West Seneca.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Mount Mercy Academy, c/o The Jeanne Midge Pettys Scholarship Fund, 88 Red Jacket, Buffalo, NY 14220.

- A memorial mass for John G. Roberts III will be held Tuesday, February 17 at 12:00 PM at the Holy Family of Jesus - Mary and Joseph Parish, located at 1413 Pine Avenue in Niagara Falls.

In lieu of flowers, please send charitable donations to Holy Family of Jesus - Mary and Joseph Parish, St. Peter's RC Church of Lewiston or St. John's Episcopal Church or Youngstown.

- A memorial service for Dr. Alison L. DesForges will be held on Sunday, February 22 at 3:00 PM at St. Joseph Church, located at 3275 Main Street in Buffalo neat the University at Buffalo's Main Street campus.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Human Rights Watch in memory of Dr. DesForges. Donations may be made online or mailed to:

Human Rights Watch

350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor

New York, New York 10118-3299

Well-wishers may also post tributres to Dr. DesForges by following a link from the HRW's home page.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/specials/Flt3407/story.aspx?storyid=64204&catid=299

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 12:19 AM

How to help the
Wielinski family
Family lost everything, including
their dad

Updated: Saturday, 14 Feb 2009, 5:46 PM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Feb 2009, 4:29 PM EST

CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) - Last night, a 48 passenger plane crashed into a house in Clarence Center, NY. That house belonged to Karen and Douglas Wielinski, and their four daughters Lori, Kim, Jessica and Jill. Everyone is asking how they can help. Here is how: Her family has lost everything, including her dad, Douglas. There is no address to send anything to, so, if you would like to send a card or condolences, please mail to:

Clarence Post Office

General Delivery

To the Wielinski Family

9845 Main Street

Clarence, N.Y. 14031

Also, Clarence Community & Schools Federal Credit Union has set up
a Fund for the Wielinski Family of Clarence. The Credit Union is located at 9145 Sheridan Drive in Clarence.

Checks can be made out to CCSFCU and brought in or
mailed to P.O. Box 657, Clarence, NY 14031

The telephone number for any questions is (716)630-0888.

If you have the financial flexibility to donate funds, we welcome that as well. Checks may be made out to Karen Wielinski.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/How_to_help_the_Wielinski_family_20090213

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 12:21 AM

Embracing life in the
wake of tragedy
Memorial plans not yet set

Updated: Sunday, 15 Feb 2009, 9:02 PM EST
Published : Sunday, 15 Feb 2009, 9:01 PM EST

* Don Postles
* Posted by: Emily Lenihan

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Beverly Eckert taught her family how to embrace life in the wake of tragedy.

Beverly Eckert's family is trying to cope with tragedy for a second time. Her husband Sean Rooney was killed in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. She was coming to Buffalo to celebrate his birthday with her sisters and to award a scholarship at Canisius High School in her husband's memory.

Karen Eckert, Beverly's sister, said, "There was just laughter in her voice talking all the time throughout the week about what we were going to do and how we're going to do it."

After 9/11, she became an advocate for the victim's families. Now, her family is pulling on her strength then to get through this now.

"She said Sean faced death with calm courage and it calmed her. She gave us a gift because she did this already and she was not afraid of death."

The family is reflecting on Beverly's talents. There's the mug she made, inscribed with the words "Do all you can in the time that you have."

There are also her paintings that she made for her sisters.

The family believes she is now re-united with Sean.

"I think she is at peace. She was not afraid of death adn she looked at it as a way to probably be reunited with Sean," said Susan Bourque, Beverly's sister.

Beverly lived life with vigor and determination. She was an inspiration for all who knew her.

Ray Eckert, Beverly's brother, said, "There was no fence that was too high, no pit that was too deep, tehy would climb over it, climb out of it together or individually. She was just amazing."

Beverly Eckert was held in high esteem not just within her family, but the community and by her classmates here at Sacred Heart Academy who were planning on honoring her with the distinguished alumna award this May. Her life is over but her legacy lives on.

The family is still working on plans for a memorial service for Beverly Eckert for next weekend.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Embracing_life_in_the_wake_of_tragedy_20090215

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 12:23 AM

Family loses their
"rock"
Mary Pettys touched many lives

Updated: Saturday, 14 Feb 2009, 7:22 PM EST
Published : Saturday, 14 Feb 2009, 7:01 PM EST

* Lorey Schultz
* Posted by: Emily Lenihan

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - By all accounts, she was a remarkable woman who touched many lives.

Mary Pettys was described this morning as "the rock" of her family.

Saturday night her siblings struggle to fill an enormous void.

For the friends and family members of Flight 3407, there is shock and sadness as reality sets in.

There are also many memories.

Mary's sister Sue Pasha said, "She was the friend everyone wished they had, and she was the person everyone wished they could be."

Sue Pasha, her father, brothers and sisters gathered to remember 51-year-old Mary Pettys, the oldest of the 10 siblings.

The lifelong Buffalonian was a software manager for a health care company.

She was returning home from a business trip to New York when the plane went down.

Her grieving fiance says everyone who met her fell in love with her.

They were to marry this Spring.

"She made me the happiest man. I'm devastated," said Mary's fiance Bill.

Nearly two days after the nation's first deadly airline crash since 2006, air travelers seemed to brush away any fear of flying and boarded flights.

However, at New Jersey's Newark where Flight 3407 came from, some passengers admitted that safety was on their minds.

An air traveler said, "Oh yeah definitely . There's no way anyone can sit up there and not be thinking about that."

"It's not easy. It's nerve wracking and our son was actually in Buffalo area and he would have taken that flight to Buffalo," said an air traveler.

Back in WNY, the mourning continues.

Mary's widowed father says it really hit him when his daughter wasn't there to bring him coffee as she did every day since his wife died.

Howie Pettys, Mary's Father, "She brought coffee every morning and I'm going to miss her. Quite a girl."

But amid tears are beautiful memories, far stronger than the haunting images of the doomed flight.

Funeral arrangements for Mary have been finalized.

A wake will be held on Tuesday from 2 until 8 at the James Cannan Funeral Home in Orchard Park.

The Funeral will take place the following day at Queen of Heaven in West Seneca.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Family_loses_their_rock_20090214

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 12:25 AM

Controlling emotions on
the front lines
Firefighter says nothing could have
prepared him

Updated: Sunday, 15 Feb 2009, 9:21 PM EST
Published : Sunday, 15 Feb 2009, 5:34 PM EST

* George Richert
* Posted by: Emily Lenihan

CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) - Firefighters have one of the toughest jobs of all.

They have to control an emergency while they keep their own emotions in control.

News 4 spoke with a firefighters who was on the front lines in Clarence.

"We had a job to do and we wanted to go get it done," said Wayne Michalak, of Newstead Fire Company.

Volunteer Firefighter Wayne Michalak says nothing could've prepared him for a sight like the crash of Flight 3407.

He drove One of the Ambulances for the Town of Newstead to the scene that night. They quickly learned there were no survivors.

"And when you're trained to help somebody, and you can't help 'em," Michalak said.

But like most firefighters he didn't think twice about going back the next day to help more with the recovery efforts.

He shared the photos with us that he took from what he calls ground zero.

Michalak said, "The one set of bodies we found when we first approached the scene, you could tell they were still in their seats, and it appeared to us that they were in the 'prepare for the inevitable position' and it's an unbearable sight to have to see."

Even now, it's almost three days after the crash, there is still a perimeter set up keeping the public and the media a few blocks away from the scene. That's why Wayne's pictures bring us all that much closer to what most of us haven't seen.

Like the way the trees are sliced in such a way to almost show the path the plane took on the way down, or the landing gear that sticks out from atop the scene.

"There's been those thoughts 'Why am I doing this, why put myself in this situation, but there's more to life that just living it for yourself. I mean we're all human beings, we're meant to help each other," said Michalak. "Firefighters are human too."

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Controlling_emotions_on_the_front_lines_20090215

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 12:27 AM

NY town seeks comfort after plane falls onto home
By JOHN CURRAN, Associated Press Writer John Curran, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 55 mins ago

CLARENCE, N.Y. – At Clarence United Methodist Church, they prayed — for the victims, for their families and for the small army of workers sifting through plane wreckage in suburban Buffalo.

Backed by a giant projector screen carrying the words "Prayer for all affected by Flight 3407," the Rev. David Kofahl urged his 70-member congregation at Sunday services to turn to God, taking solace in the Christian faith's promise of everlasting life.

"No one can take away the horror of what happened, but what a wonderful thing it is to know that this life is not all there is," said Kofahl, who'd visited the site Saturday to offer counseling to emergency workers.

Three days after the Newark, N.J.,-to-Buffalo commuter plane fell from the sky onto a house, killing 50 people, a federal investigator said the Continental Connection aircraft was on autopilot until just before it went down in icy weather, indicating that the pilot may have violated federal safety recommendations and the airline's own policy for flying in such conditions.

Meanwhile, people in this Buffalo suburb sought comfort at Sunday church services, and town officials held a meeting to field questions from residents of the community of about 28,700.

"Everybody knows somebody that's been affected, in one way or another," said Nancy Case, 53, who attended the service at Clarence United Methodist, about 4 miles from the crash site.

On Saturday night, she was among those participating in a vigil at the home of John and Marilyn Kausner, whose 24-year-old daughter, Ellyce Kausner, was among the victims. A law student at Florida Coastal School of Law, Kausner was flying home to be her nephew's date at a kindergarten Valentine's Day party.

"A lot of us at the vigil said it's surreal, like a dream we can't wake up from," Case said.

Those who turned out for services at other churches also had the crash in their thoughts. At Clarence Center United Methodist Church, worshippers held hands during a service honoring victims, and at Emmanuel Baptist Church, the Rev. Terry Bowman led prayers for the victims and their families.

"It's a very caring community, and one that's in shock but coming together in prayer," Bowman said.

At Clarence High School, about 200 residents sought answers from government officials, asking when routines would return and what was being done to address the mental health needs of students during this week's midwinter recess.

"It was a healthy discussion," resident Dominick Cortese said. "A lot of the concerns were about more immediate needs, but some things came out today that people have been thinking about as far as the future: Is it likely to be something we will have to deal with again? What's being done to prevent it?"

Town Supervisor Scott Bylewski said it may be weeks before normalcy returns.

___

Associated Press writer William Kates contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090216/ap_on_re_us/plane_into_home_town

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 12:29 AM

Aviation authorities defend safety of turboprops
By LARRY NEUMEISTER and RICHARD PYLE, Associated Press Writers Larry Neumeister And Richard Pyle, Associated Press Writers – Sun Feb 15, 7:48 pm ET

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board has called for authorities to ground all turboprop planes like the one that crashed last week in icy conditions, at least until the accident investigation is complete.

But federal aviation officials insisted Sunday that the planes are just as safe in winter weather as any other aircraft.

The 74-seat Q400 Bombardier aircraft "has an excellent record in icing conditions," said Laura Brown, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration. "If we thought that these planes were unsafe, we wouldn't let them operate."

Continental Flight 3407 crashed into a home late Thursday, killing all 49 people aboard the plane and one man on the ground. It went down in light snow and mist just six miles from the Buffalo airport.

The crew had discussed significant ice buildup on their windshield and wings shortly before the crash, according to the NTSB.

The crash has raised questions about the safety of small regional aircraft, which have grown in use since the 2001 terrorist attacks, when airlines found it economical to substitute smaller aircraft for some routes where they previously had used larger planes.

Jim Hall, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board from 1994 through 2001, told The Buffalo News that the FAA should "ground all aircraft of this type until the NTSB investigation is completed and it is clear they can be operated safely."

Hall questioned the safety of turboprops because they fly at slower speeds than jets, making it easier for ice to accumulate. And he was critical of the air-filled deicing "boots" like those on Flight 3407 that inflate to crack ice off.

Hall said that technology was invented in the 1930s and has improved little. He said heated wing systems used in jets are more effective.

Hall did not return a telephone message seeking comment left by The Associated Press.

Brown said the FAA had no reason so far to act.

"I don't think we've seen anything to date that would lead us to make any recommendations about this plane," she said.

The flight was operated by Colgan Air of Manassas, Va. A spokesman for Colgan's parent company, Pinnacle Airlines of Memphis, Tenn., did not return a phone message.

NTSB board member Steve Chealander said all planes must meet the same federal safety requirements before they are certified to fly.

"Are turboprops more unsafe than jets? The answer is no," he said Sunday. "They are all certified by the governing agencies of the country that they're manufactured in. They all play by the same rules."

Chealander said the airlines know it's in their best interest to be safe. "They're not going to go out there and operate unsafe," he said.

Brown said many airlines have switched from turboprops to regional jets for a variety of reasons, including fuel efficiency and financial considerations.

On Sunday, representatives of Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines and FedEx declined to say whether they were considering any changes in the use of turboprops in winter conditions, such as flying different routes or using larger jets that fly at higher altitudes.

"We continue to review our procedures to be sure they are as safe as possible," said Maury Lane, a spokesman for Memphis-based FedEx. "It's premature to say if changes might be necessary."

___

Associated Press Writer Richard Pyle in New York contributed to this story.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090216/ap_on_re_us/plane_into_home_turboprops

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 12:34 AM

For complete coverage of this story, WIVB.com has the BEST coverage. There are just so very many stories here that I just can't post them all.

They're being added to the list at the website as they come in...

http://www.wivb.com/generic/news/more_flight_3407

There are also links to photos on the same page.

One2Snoop

02-16-2009, 12:41 AM

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 01:57 AM

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samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 02:06 AM

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samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 12:42 PM

NTSB to lift engines from NY plane crash site

BUFFALO, N.Y. – An investigator says a crane will lift the engines from the site of last week's deadly plane crash outside Buffalo, N.Y. Steve Chealander of the National Transportation Safety Board says the engines will be taken from the debris field on Monday.

Investigators want to scrutinize all the pieces to learn whether the plane was intact when it hit the ground.

Chealander says it remains a mystery what caused a seemingly routine descent by Continental Connection Flight 3407 to abruptly go wrong 26 seconds before the crash.

All 49 people on board and one man on the ground were killed when the plane landed on a house Thursday night about six miles from Buffalo's airport.

Chealander also says families of the victims were hoping to visit the crash site on Monday.

The sounds of the last desperate minutes in the cockpit aboard Flight 3407 could be clues to the cause of a crash that came violently and suddenly, with the doomed plane dropping steeply and pitching and rolling like a rollercoaster.

Investigators in Washington and Buffalo huddled Sunday at the start of an in-depth study of the plane's voice cockpit and voice data recorders. Hours later, National Transportation Safety Board member Steve Chealander released facts illustrating how the Continental Connection flight disappeared from radar late Thursday, plunging into a house and killing 50 people.

Chealander said information from the plane's flight data recorder indicated that the aircraft pitched up at an angle of 31 degrees in its final seconds, then pitched down at 45 degrees.

The plane rolled to the left at 46 degrees, then snapped back to the right at 105 degrees — 15 degrees beyond vertical.

Radar data shows Flight 3407 fell from 1,800 feet above sea level to 1,000 feet in five seconds, he said. Passengers and crew would have experienced G-forces up to twice as strong as on the ground.

Authorities said Monday that gawkers continue to seek access to the site, forcing officials to again close a road that leads to the suburban Clarence neighborhood where the plane crashed into a house, killing all 49 people on board and one person in the home.

A road that leads to the neighborhood was reopened to traffic about 6 p.m. Sunday but closed again after residents complained that people were parking cars and then trespassing on backyards in a bid to get close, according to Capt. Steven Nigrelli of the New York State Police.

Three people have been arrested trying to get to the site, including a man caught hiding behind a home and videotaping the crash site Friday.

The plane crashed belly-first on top of a house about six miles short of Buffalo Niagara International Airport, two to three minutes from when it should have touched down on the runway.

Just before they went down in a suburban neighborhood, the pilots discussed "significant" ice buildup on their wings and windshield. Other aircraft in the area told air traffic controllers they also experienced icing around the same time.

Chealander said in an interview that the pilot may have rejected federal safety recommendations and the airline's own policy for flying in icy conditions by leaving the autopilot on even after he notified air traffic control that the flight crew had spotted ice on the leading edge of the wings and the windshield.

The Dash 8 Q400 plane, operated by Colgan Air, was equipped with a "stick shaker" and "stick pusher" mechanism that rattles the yoke to warn the pilot if the plane is about to lose aerodynamic lift, a condition called a stall. If not corrected in time, the mechanism automatically pushes the stick forward to avert a stall.

Chealander said the plane was on autopilot until the "stick shaker" and "stick pusher" kicked in, automatically putting the plane back in the pilot's hands.

At some point, the pilot switched on an anti-stall device that increases the speed of the plane by 20 knots and gives a pilot more margin to recover from a stall if it occurs.

Asked whether the pilot might have overreacted by pulling the stick back when it automatically went forward, Chealander said, "Yes, it's possible."

Still, he was careful not to be critical of the pilot.

"Everything that should have been done was done, so we keep looking," he said. "We keep looking, trying to find out why this happened."

Chealander said the plane's deicing system was turned on 11 minutes after it took off from Newark, N.J., and stayed on for the entire flight. Indicator lights showed the system appeared to be working.

He said the pilot was being "very conservative" by turning it on so soon.

Investigators who examined both engines said they appeared to be working normally at the time of the crash.

Colgan Air operates a fleet of 51 regional turboprops for Continental Connection, United Express and US Airways Express.

By Sunday, authorities had recovered the remains of 15 people from the wreckage as crews raced to finish their work before a storm expected later in the week.

Recovery crews could need as much as four days to remove the remains from the site. Chealander described the efforts as an "excavation."

"Keep in mind, there's an airplane that fell on top of a house, and they're now intermingled," he said.

DNA and dental records will be used to identify the remains, he said.

Once all the remains are recovered, the focus will turn to removing wreckage of the 74-seat aircraft from the neighborhood.

___

Associated Press writers William Kates, Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Carolyn Thompson and John Curran contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090216/ap_on_re_us/plane_into_home

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 01:16 PM

In a 'season of grieving,' WNY pays tribute to the plane crash victims
By Brian Meyer
News Staff Reporter

Close to 2,000 people attended an interfaith community prayer service in Clarence today to remember the victims of Flight 3407.

Firefighters, young people and others placed 50 white roses at the altar of the Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church — one flower for each of the individuals who died in Thursday's crash. A soloist sang "Amazing Grace" as people filed to the altar.

Western New York has entered a "season of grieving," said Pastor Karl Eastlack.

"We are one community, and that is what this community prayer service is all about," he said.

People gave two standing ovations to emergency services crews who were first responders and performed agonizing tasks at the crash site.

Some worshippers wept as leaders from various religions paid tribute to the victims. Some speakers noted that the tragedy illustrates the fragility of life. Others underscored the importance of remembering victims' contributions to society. Still other speakers talked about the need to see hope in the wake of calamity.

"God's light can shine through, even in the wreckage," said Rabbi Alex Lazarus Klein of Temple Sinai in Buffalo.

The Rev. Steve Biegner of Zion Lutheran Church in Clarence said he brings "greetings" from firefighters, volunteers and all the agencies gathered at the crash site. He painted brief vignettes of various acts of courage and heroism as he watched the tragic scene unfold late Thursday and early Friday.

Other participants in the hour-long service included Bishop Edward Kmiec of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, Dr. Surjit Singh of the Sikh Society of the Niagara Frontier, and Dr. G. Stanford Bratton of the Western New York Network of Religious Communities.

Nancy Blaschak, executive director of the Buffalo chapter of the American Red Cross, talked about the organization's involvement assisting families of the crash victims. Local volunteers typically respond to emergencies that include house fires, floods and ice storms. They are sometimes dispatched to other regions to help cope with disasters.

"But it's been a long time since we have been called upon to serve in a tragedy of this magnitude, right here in our own community," she said.

bmeyer@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/581155.html

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 01:18 PM

Final descent was nearly 20 times faster than normal
Mary B. Pasciak and Aaron Besecker
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS

Everything seemed normal for the first 59 minutes and 34 seconds of Flight 3407 from Newark to Buffalo.

But the last 26 seconds launched a terrifying descent in which the crew tried to regain control of the plummeting plane as it was rolling and twisting, according to information retrieved from the two black box recorders of the ill-fated plane and released Sunday.

A minute before the plane crashed, nothing appeared amiss. The autopilot was controlling the descent at 154 mph, the landing gear and flaps were lowered, and, at 1,650 feet above the ground, the plane was on course for landing on Runway 23 at Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

But 34 seconds later, the plane suddenly went out of control and began a deadly roller-coaster descent that ended at 10:20 Thursday night.

The pilot and first officer heard a warning tone, signaling that the autopilot had automatically disengaged.

Instead of easing toward the landing strip at a gradual descent, the nose of the plane suddenly pitched up at a 31-degree angle, far steeper than what's normal for a plane during takeoff.

At that point, it appears that the crew took over from the autopilot and rammed the throttles all the way forward, trying to prevent the plane from stalling.

Seconds later, the nose of the plane dipped dramatically. At the same time, the plane rolled to the left, its left wing dipping and the right wing pointing up. Then the plane rolled even more dramatically to the other side.

Inside the cabin, passengers and crew felt a gravitational pull of two Gs, twice the force of gravity.

The wings then came back toward level flight. But the nose of the plane still pointed down, and the plane was pointed in the opposite direction from the airport. It had reversed direction.

Continental Connection Flight 3407 also was dropping nearly 20 times faster than normal … falling 800 feet in 5 seconds. The last recorded data showed the plane 250 feet above ground level, at 115 mph, less than 5 seconds before impact.

Finally, the plane hit flat on the ground, igniting a fireball that took the lives of all 49 people onboard and one in the Clarence Center house it struck.

That is the terrifying sequence of events that federal investigators reconstructed for reporters Sunday evening in a hotel in Amherst.

What caused the plane to pitch out of control and crash remains a question, according to representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board. But some of the details of the final moments of the flight have started coming to light.

It is too early to determine what role icing played, said Steven R. Chealander, the NTSB member overseeing operations locally. The flight's crew had reported "significant" icing on the windshield and leading edge of the wings. "Significant," however, is not a technical term, but merely the words the crew chose to describe what they saw.

Icing is categorized by the Federal Aviation Administration as light, moderate or severe.

"We have not gotten reports yet suggesting it was severe icing," Chealander said.

The takeoff of Flight 3407 was delayed for more than two hours from New Jersey on Thursday night, departing at 9:20. The delay, though, was related to winds as high as 57 mph in the metropolitan New York City area, Chealander said, not because of any weather conditions in the Buffalo area.

"It really was not a bad weather day, and they chose to launch," he told reporters gathered at the Buffalo/Niagara Marriott in Amherst.

The crew turned on the de-icing system 11 minutes after takeoff, and it remained on throughout the flight, he said.

As in most routine flights, autopilot was engaged, controlling the plane's maneuvers prior to landing. But the autopilot shut off just half a minute after the landing gear was lowered, signaling to the flight crew that conditions were too extreme for autopilot to handle.

As federal investigators continue to comb through the evidence, the level of icing is likely to become a key factor. The manufacturer of the twin-engine Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprop recommends that in "severe" icing, autopilot be disengaged so the pilot can correct for weather conditions more efficiently, Chealander said.

In general, the NTSB recommends that when icing occurs, "you might want to disengage the autopilot so you have a manual feel for what might be changing because of the ice," he said.

"We suggest you take it off autopilot to better feel the airplane and stay ahead of changes as a result of the icing," he said.

But the FAA offers a different recommendation to pilots who encounter icing conditions.

This federal agency encourages pilots to "use the autopilot to help you handle the workload in these highly intense weather situations. To say they shouldn't have been flying on autopilot is not correct," Chealander said.

The FAA has not adopted the NTSB's guidelines.

And that point, in the months ahead, may become a point of contention between the FAA, which regulates aviation, and the NTSB, which is charged with investigating various types of transportation accidents.

"The FAA sees things a little differently than we do," said the NTSB's Chealander.

Both organizations are federal agencies under the umbrella of the Department of Transportation. Neither has direct oversight of the other.

Investigators are continuing to dig through the debris on Long Road in Clarence, still searching for the remains of victims, as well as pulling out plane parts. "The plane doesn't seem to have lost anything prior to impact," Chealander said.

Crews have found all six blades to Engine 2, he said. Engine 1 was consumed by fire, but fragments of four blades, all badly burned, have been found.

A crane is being used to lift the engines and put them on the road for investigators to examine, he said.

In addition to its de-icing system consisting of pneumatic boots and electrically heated propellers, the plane also has a related, "sophisticated" system that helps deal with icing, Chealander said.

If the pilot flips the "reference speed increase switch," the instruments add a margin to the "stall speed," or the speed at which the wings no longer create lift and the plane drops.

"It basically adds 20 knots [about 23 mph] to everything you're doing to help protect you against a stall," he said. "From every indication that we've got right now off [the] flight data recorder and so forth, that switch was engaged."

Chealander said airline representatives have told the safety board that all pilots received training in winter operations prior to this season. During that training, pilots were instructed they should activate de-icing systems before the planes enter icing conditions, he said.

The NTSB will continue to piece together evidence and try to determine what caused the disaster. But that may require considerable time.

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/580853.html

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 01:20 PM

Identifying victims of Clarence crash to take weeks
Henry L. Davis and Jay Rey
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS

The difficult task of identifying the 50 victims of Continental Flight 3407 progressed Sunday as specialists combed through body fragments and personal belongings after the crash in Clarence Center.

Assuming the clear weather continues, officials said they expect to remove the remains by the end of the week from the crash site on Long Street.

But identifying all the dead could take many more weeks of forensic work in the morgue.

"Our primary mission now is re-uniting the remains with their families. But it's like an archaeological dig, a slow and methodical process," said Dr. Anthony Billittier IV, Erie County health commissioner.

Thursday night's crash of the commuter airplane also leaves many un-answered questions for residents touched by the tragedy.

So, as officials investigated the cause and searched for bodies, they also spent part of Sunday trying to provide answers during a briefing in Clarence High School.

"It's an opportunity to take care of things that might be falling through the cracks," Clarence Supervisor Scott A. Bylewski said.

One of the key messages: No environmental or medical hazards have been found around the crash site, where 12 properties were evacuated after the turboprop Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 went down atop one of the houses.

Such disasters bring together a host of specialists to give names to the victims by matching dental records, fingerprinting, studying bones and conducting DNA tests to determine unique genetic qualities.

Teeth are one of the basic pieces of evidence because they are the most likely body part to survive an intense fire.

In this case, Billittier said his colleagues "hit the ground running" because Dr. James J. Woytash, the county medical examiner, is a dentist, as well as a pathologist, and is helped by Dr. Raymond Miller of Lancaster, a consulting forensic dentist.

Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., sent a forensic anthropologist accompanied by a team of graduate students to help examine human skeletal remains. Bones can be used to estimate age, race and sex. They also can show identifying injuries from the past, such as fractures.

A federal Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, known as DMORT, arrived with 41 people and equipment to set up mobile morgues and to help with search and recovery.

Team members also will assist with an emotionally tough but essential part of the investigation — talking to family members about obtaining dental and medical records, and asking about distinguishing features, such as scars, tattoos, jewelry and clothing.

As a last resort, officials will turn to DNA testing of tissue to identify an individual, a process that has begun in this case. The analyses are being done by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.

"We're making significant progress, but it will take weeks of work in the morgue and weeks also for the DNA results," Billittier said.

He declined to say how many individuals had been identified, explaining that he and his colleagues preferred to consult first with victims' family members.

"Out of respect for the families, we will not release numbers," Billittier said.

County officials established a Health Operations Center at the Erie County Medical Center campus on Grider Street to coordinate efforts. The morgue, where bodies are being taken, also is located on the medical center campus.

As they make their way through the body parts, officials must document everything they come across, requiring a small army of radiologists, technicians, coroners, computer personnel, and security and support staff.

"The challenge is the enormity and complexity of the task," said Scott Zimmerman, county laboratory director.

While the experts continued to comb the site, the minds of area residents and others remained elsewhere.

By midafternoon Sunday, more than two dozen bouquets of flowers and other items had been placed outside Clarence Center United Methodist Church.

At the public briefing, dozens of Clarence residents asked questions and received a wide-ranging status report from town, county and state officials.

Residents of Long Street, for instance, wanted to know about the return of utilities and other services.

"What do we do about mail, garbage pickup — the normal aspects of life?" asked Kathy Hoffman.

David Harrington, who made the initial call to 911 about the crash, expressed concern about heat in the homes and water pipes, especially if temperatures decline significantly before evacuees are allowed to return.

"I just want to make sure we're not forgotten," he said.

The incident has been particularly stressful for Harrington. He didn't know the exact address of the home destroyed by the airplane, so he told the 911 operator to get emergency personnel to his house. He then watched in dismay throughout the night as television news shows displayed his address as the site of the crash.

"People kept calling me thinking I was dead," he said.

David Bissonette, Clarence's coordinator of emergency services, said utilities had been restored at all but two homes. Once investigators complete their work, the goal calls for allowing most residents back in their homes by the end of the week. But a house adjacent to the home destroyed in the crash also had significant damage and will require additional work, he said.

Among other issues discussed:

* Cleanup of debris and any soil found to be contaminated is expected to begin immediately after recovery of human remains, probably Friday or Saturday, and will take about a week to complete. But full restoration of the properties, such as reseeding lawns, will wait until spring, said Daniel King, regional spill engineer for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

* Curiosity-seekers have been warned. Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard and Clarence Town Attorney Steven B. Bengart, responding to several incidents since the crash, said authorities will arrest and prosecute anyone found trespassing at the crash site. A portion of Goodrich Road had to be closed for several hours Sunday, because people were stopping, getting out of their vehicles and walking through residents' yards to get a view of the crash site.

"It was a crush of people," State Police Capt. Steven A. Nigrelli said Sunday. "We will shut the road down again, if we see what we did today."

* A telephone hotline — 211 — for residents to call with questions will operate 24 hours a day as the cleanup and investigation continue. Officials stressed that residents should call that number, not 911, for non-emergency questions. The hotline received about 150 calls Sunday. Additional information is available at the Clarence Web site, clarence.ny.us.

* A number of efforts have begun to aid families and help children cope with the tragedy.

In addition to the town, information is available from the American Red Cross (buffaloredcross.org), Clarence Central School District (clarenceschools.org) and Clarence Chamber of Commerce.

* Continental Airlines and its insurance carrier have agreed to pay town expenses associated with the crash, Bengart said.

* The state has granted Clarence residents a one-week extension — to Feb. 24 — for paying their property taxes.

News Staff Reporter Aaron Besecker contributed to this report.

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/580856.html

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 01:22 PM

Sullenberger extends sympathies in wake of crash
By Charity Vogel
News Staff Reporter

The man who recently became the nation's example of aviation heroism extended his sympathy toward Buffalonians today, as they struggle to cope in the aftermath of the tragic crash of Continental Flight 3407.

Capt. Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, who piloted a crippled U.S Airways jet safely into a landing in the Hudson River in New York City on Jan. 15, said he was thinking of Buffalo and the families who were affected by the crash.

"I am deeply saddened by last week's accident in Buffalo," said Sullenberger, who lives in Danville, Calif., "and my family and I have the families of those who lost their lives in our hearts and in our thoughts."

When U.S. Airways Flight 1549 landed in the river off Manhattan, all 155 passengers escaped safely.

Sullenberger, 57, a former Air Force fighter pilot and an employee of U.S. Airways since 1980, also runs a consulting company, Safety Reliability Methods, that applies safety standards from the airline industry to other businesses and professional fields. The company says its methods "have their genesis in the ultra-safe world of commercial aviation."

cvogel@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/581174.html

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 01:24 PM

Pilot's actions scrutinized in Flight 3407 crash
By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press Writer

The sounds of the last desperate minutes in the cockpit aboard Flight 3407 could be clues to the cause of a crash that came violently and suddenly, with the doomed plane dropping steeply and pitching and rolling like a rollercoaster.

Investigators in Washington and Buffalo have begun an in-depth study of the plane's voice cockpit and voice data recorders.

They also plan to scrutinize all pieces of the engines to learn whether the plane was intact when it hit the ground. Steve Chealander of the National Transportation Safety Board said the engines would be taken by crane from the debris field on Monday.

Families of the victims were hoping to visit the site as well, Chealander said.

On Sunday, Chealander released facts illustrating how the Continental Connection flight disappeared from radar late Thursday, plunging into a house and killing 50 people.

Chealander said information from the plane's flight data recorder indicated that the aircraft pitched up at an angle of 31 degrees in its final seconds, then pitched down at 45 degrees.

The plane rolled to the left at 46 degrees, then snapped back to the right at 105 degrees - 15 degrees beyond vertical.

Radar data shows Flight 3407 fell from 1,800 feet above sea level to 1,000 feet in five seconds, he said. Passengers and crew would have experienced G-forces up to twice as strong as on the ground.

Authorities said Monday that gawkers continue to seek access to the site, forcing officials to again close a road that leads to the suburban Clarence neighborhood where the plane crashed into a house, killing all 49 people on board and one person in the home.

A road that leads to the neighborhood was reopened to traffic about 6 p.m. Sunday but closed again after residents complained that people were parking cars and then trespassing on backyards in a bid to get close, according to Capt. Steven Nigrelli of the New York State Police.

Three people have been arrested trying to get to the site, including a man caught hiding behind a home and videotaping the crash site Friday.

The plane crashed belly-first on top of a house about six miles short of Buffalo Niagara International Airport, two to three minutes from when it should have touched down on the runway.

Just before they went down in a suburban neighborhood, the pilots discussed "significant" ice buildup on their wings and windshield. Other aircraft in the area told air traffic controllers they also experienced icing around the same time.

Chealander said in an interview that the pilot may have rejected federal safety recommendations and the airline's own policy for flying in icy conditions by leaving the autopilot on even after he notified air traffic control that the flight crew had spotted ice on the leading edge of the wings and the windshield.

The Dash 8 Q400 plane, operated by Colgan Air, was equipped with a "stick shaker" and "stick pusher" mechanism that rattles the yoke to warn the pilot if the plane is about to lose aerodynamic lift, a condition called a stall. If not corrected in time, the mechanism automatically pushes the stick forward to avert a stall.

Chealander said the plane was on autopilot until the "stick shaker" and "stick pusher" kicked in, automatically putting the plane back in the pilot's hands.

At some point, the pilot switched on an anti-stall device that increases the speed of the plane by 20 knots and gives a pilot more margin to recover from a stall if it occurs.

Asked whether the pilot might have overreacted by pulling the stick back when it automatically went forward, Chealander said, "Yes, it's possible."

Still, he was careful not to be critical of the pilot.

"Everything that should have been done was done, so we keep looking," he said. "We keep looking, trying to find out why this happened."

Chealander said the plane's deicing system was turned on 11 minutes after it took off from Newark, N.J., and stayed on for the entire flight. Indicator lights showed the system appeared to be working.

He said the pilot was being "very conservative" by turning it on so soon.

Investigators who examined both engines said they appeared to be working normally at the time of the crash.

Colgan Air operates a fleet of 51 regional turboprops for Continental Connection, United Express and US Airways Express.

By Sunday, authorities had recovered the remains of 15 people from the wreckage as crews raced to finish their work before a storm expected later in the week.

Recovery crews could need as much as four days to remove the remains from the site. Chealander described the efforts as an "excavation."

"Keep in mind, there's an airplane that fell on top of a house, and they're now intermingled," he said. DNA and dental records will be used to identify the remains, he said.

Once all the remains are recovered, the focus will turn to removing wreckage of the 74-seat aircraft from the neighborhood.

Associated Press writers William Kates, Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Carolyn Thompson and John Curran contributed to this report.

http://www.buffalonews.com/260/story/581088.html

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 01:26 PM

Flight 3407 rocked like roller coaster before fall
By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI
Associated Press Writer

Seats are upright. Belts are buckled. Trays are up. Flight 3407 is beginning its descent to Buffalo Niagara International Airport. And then something suddenly goes terribly wrong.

The 44 passengers are lifted from their seats - like on a roller coaster - very abruptly and repeatedly. Simultaneously, they are forcefully jostled from side to side.

But the severe pitches and rolls that jerked the plane's nose up and down from 31 degrees to 45 degrees while rolling violently from side to side, once as much as 105 degrees and almost onto the plane's back - would have ended within 20 seconds when the plane hit the ground.

Pilots and experts say a sense of panic was likely setting in among passengers on the turboprop Continental commuter plane, but they probably did not have time to realize they were crashing.

"Just panic. They were feeling things they've never felt before, but it wouldn't have been: 'We're going down. We're going down,'" said Skip Moshner, a pilot and instructor for the type of plane that crashed Thursday night in Clarence, N.Y., barely three minutes from touchdown.

"Nobody suffered in this crash," Moshner said.

Passengers may have first noticed something was awry minutes before the pitching and rolling.

At about 16,000 feet, the pilot reported haze to the control tower and asked to descend.

As the aircraft passed through clouds, it encountered ice and likely shook from turbulence in the mist and snow, Moshner said. The plane's deicers would have broken up the ice, the wind flinging it off the wings and propellers, knocking chunks of it against the side of the aircraft, loud enough for passengers to hear.

"That would be alarming in significant ice if you hadn't heard it before, but it's routine," Moshner said.

The plane continued its descent. The landing gear was brought down and flaps were opened to 5 degrees at about 2,000 feet. As the pilot tried to open the flaps further - somewhere between 10 and 15 degrees - the control yoke shook in his hand, indicating the plane was losing lift.

Then, it indicated he was going to stall - an aerodynamic phenomenon that means something such as ice has corrupted the wings or tail, or possibly both, making the plane unbalanced and unable to fly.

"The plane's out of control so it's banking over. It may feel like it's upside-down," said Moshner, who as a flight simulator instructor often mimics similar circumstances for his students so they know what a crash or loss of control would feel like.

"It's going to feel like you're rolling over or you're upside-down. You may be vertical or 90 degrees on your side, but it's going to feel like you're upside-down," he said. "The drinks are probably going flying. Anything loose is going to be airborne."

Still, looking out the window would not have helped a passenger determine exactly what was happening to the aircraft because it was dark and the weather was bad, said John Hansman, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who specializes in flight safety.

Then, the plane dropped 800 feet in just five seconds.

Passengers would have felt like the bottom was dropping out. The plane rolled right and pitched down once more, facing away from the airport.

"Adrenaline and fear factor take over and then it's over," Moshner said.

It lasted only 15 to 30 seconds, but the episode is likely to be studied for decades.

"It takes longer to describe it than the whole incident occurred. Pitch up, pitch down, roll, roll, pitch up, roll and it's done, that quick," Moshner said.

http://www.buffalonews.com/260/story/581050.html

samanthajane13

02-16-2009, 01:30 PM

“When a further delay appeared on the screen . . . I booked my flight for the next day.”

For passengers who didn't board 3407, relief tempered by shock
By Anne Neville
NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Some of the most poignant stories emerging after the crash of Flight 3407 Thursday night are from people who missed it.

One is Patricia LeCastre of Buffalo, a retired Clarence teacher who was scheduled to fly from Los Angeles to Newark on Thursday, then catch Flight 3407 back to Buffalo.

“It took me a couple of days to get to the point where I could tell my story,” LeCastre said, “but I also had a seat on the flight that went down.”

Although she escaped the tragedy, LeCastre knew two people who died.

“Ellyce Kausner was one of my students, and I live two doors down from Alison Des Forges, she was my neighbor,” LeCastre said.

LeCastre had been visiting her daughter Kelly in Venice Beach, Calif., for about a week. On Thursday morning, Kelly dropped her off early for a 9:50 a. m. departure.

“I was sitting at the gate at about 8:15 a. m. Los Angeles time, and the words ‘flight delay’ appeared on the screen,” she said of her flight from Los Angeles to Newark.

“It looked to be about a three-hour delay. I thought, there’s a good chance I won’t make it to Buffalo once I get to Newark.”

So LeCastre sent a text message to her daughter Sonya, in Buffalo, reaching her on her lunch hour.

“She texted me back and said many schools are closed because of power outages due to high winds, so it’s not a good idea to come home today,” LeCastre said. “With all that in mind, when a further delay appeared on the screen, I called my daughter Kelly, and she came back and got me, and I booked my flight for the next day. Same flight, same time, and I got home,” she said.

She and her daughter Kelly in California heard the news overnight that the plane on which LeCastre had been booked had gone down, with all on board lost.

“We were absolutely shocked,” she said, “and I just am so upset for the families, those I know and for the Clarence community.”

LeCastre, who taught in Clarence for almost 30 years until her retirement in June from teaching third grade at Ledgeview Elementary School, said she believes the people in the community are able to help others.

“I just can’t say enough about them. I have come to know so many of them through the years,” she said.

As for her own brush with tragedy, LeCastre said she originally held back, but was urged by friends and family to share her story.

“My head has been just swirling for these two days. It’s been a very rattling and upsetting and sad experience,” she said.

Also originally booked onto Flight 3407 was the family of Jeff and Kathleen Smith of Palm Beach, Fla., who were flying with their two sons, Paddon, 7, and Tanner, 4.

Smith, an American Hockey League referee who was headed to Western New York to work games over the weekend, told the Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator that a flight attendant recommended they not take the flight, which was likely to be turbulent, “for the sake of your children.”

Smith said he approached the Continental counter at Newark because of delays in the takeoff of Flight 3407. When the attendant saw that he was flying with his young sons, Smith told the Spectator, she suggested he wait.

“This flight is going to be bumpy and for the sake of your children I wouldn’t take it,” she told him.

“I’m staring at our four boarding passes for the Continental flight and then looking at my two children and realizing how lucky we are,” Smith told the Spectator.

The Smith family could not be reached by The Buffalo News.

Michelle Chesebro of Allegany didn’t realize she could have been on Flight 3407 until one of her co-workers called her at home to see if she was all right.

“I fly two times a week,” she said Sunday night, “so I didn’t even know which flight number I was on. I looked up my itinerary on the computer and that’s when the shock started settling in. It’s still settling in.”

Chesebro, a licensed radiation therapist, said she works as an applications trainer for a radiation oncology company, Brainlab, based in Chicago. When she found out that her training appointment in New Jersey had been canceled, she and a co-worker decided to fly home earlier on Thursday.

“They advised us to go on standby,” she said, “so we were at the airport at 7:30 in the morning. There was a long line at Continental but we got to the front of the line at 8:15 and there was a flight leaving then. I asked them, ‘Do you think I can make it?’ They said, ‘We can try.’ I paid $50 to change my flight and found it was delayed, so I had plenty of time. And once I was aboard, we sat for three hours. We finally left Newark between 12 and 12:30 [p. m.] and I got here at 1:30.”

Also originally booked on the doomed flight were two young Irish dance champions, their mother, their dance teacher and her mother, all from Western New York.

Mary Kay Heneghan, of Orchard Park, owner of Rince Na Tierna School of Irish Dance, was returning from Ireland with her mother, Mary, and with Tracy Dargan and Dargan’s daughters, 12-year-old Fiona and 14-year-old Kevinah. They switched to an earlier flight after their Irish airplane arrived early and they realized they would have a nine-hour layover in Newark.

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/580917.html

samanthajane13

02-17-2009, 12:21 AM