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NEW YORK - Investigators on Friday began to search for the cause of a commuter plane crash that killed 50 people outside Buffalo, New York, leaving a fiery scene of destruction.
Smoldering jet fuel at the scene held investigative teams at a distance while families agonized over what caused Continental flight 3407 to suddenly crash in Clarence Center late Thursday after a flight from Newark, New Jersey.
The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 exploded on impact around 10:20pm (0320 GMT), about five minutes before it was due to land, shooting flames above nearby houses.
President Barack Obama offered his condolences to the families and friends of those killed, which included 49 passengers and crew on board and one person in the house.
"Michelle and I are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic accident outside of Buffalo last night. Our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones," he said in a statement.
Investigative teams from the National Transportation Safety Board were dispatched to the scene early Friday, a spokesman said.
Emergency Coordinator David Bissonette told CNN that the plane apparently dived into a house before bursting into flames and said the only recognizable part of the plane was the tail.
"We still have a very hot scene of the fire, the fuselage is still, got a lot of heat in it. It's going to be quite some time before we get it cooled down to the point where we can start a detailed investigation," he told CNN.
"We're looking forward to daybreak here so we can do a better size-up of what we have ahead of us," he said.
The last communication from the plane, aired on US media, gave no evidence of distress before air traffic controllers lose contact.
Controllers desperately tried to make contact with the pilot as the plane, run by Colgan Air for Continental, approached Buffalo-Niagara airport, also the tourist gateway to Niagara Falls.
One controller asked another plane to look for the missing flight and when he's told it can't be seen, asked someone to contact police.
"This aircraft was five miles out and now all of the sudden we have no response from this aircraft," he said.
Bombardier, the maker of the plane, sent condolences to victims' families and said it had dispatched its own product safety and technical teams to the site to assist the NTSB investigation.
"Until such time as the investigators release any information or findings, Bombardier cannot comment further or speculate on the cause of this accident," the statement said.
Bissonette told reporters the plane took a "direct hit" on the house.
"The fuselage of the plane lies directly on the footprint of the house," Bissonette said. "It basically dived right into the top of the house."
"It's remarkable that it only took one house, as devastating as that was. It could have easily wiped out that entire neighbourhood in a streaking run type of thing," he said. Nearby homes suffered only minimal damage.
Erie County Executive Chris Collins told CNN television the plane was carrying 5,800 pounds of jet fuel and turned into a fireball on impact.
FBI agent Laurie Bennett said evidence could not be collected until the scene was deemed safe, which could be several hours.
The Buffalo News reported that one of the victims was Beverly Eckert, whose husband was killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.
Eckert was travelling to Buffalo to mark what would have been her husband, Sean Rooney's, 58th birthday.
"We know she was on that plane," her sister Sue Bourque told the paper, "and now she's with him."
One witness, who gave his name only as Tony, told a local television station that the plane flew right over his car, "nose down."
"Left wing was slightly down, pitched sideways, if you will," he said. "It was on a direct line down."
David Luce, who lives near the crash scene, told The Buffalo News he heard a huge explosion and saw flames up to 50 feet (18 metres) in the air.
"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 snow and sleet in the area at the time of the crash, which is normal for the area this time of year.
Continental Airlines pledged its full support to Colgan Air, "so that together we can provide as much support as possible for all concerned."
- AFP/ir
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