PORTLAND, Maine (AP) \u2014 The business jet that crashed Sunday evening while trying to take off in a snowstorm in Maine, killing 7 people, is a plane model that has a history of problems with crashes caused by ice buildup on the wings.<\/p>\n
The Bombardier Challenger 600 carrying eight people crashed on takeoff<\/a> at Bangor International Airport around 7:45 p.m. Sunday night as New England and much of the country grappled with a massive winter storm. The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that one member of the crew survived with serious injuries but everyone else aboard died.<\/p>\n The airport, about 200 miles north of Boston, shut down after the crash and will remain closed at least until Wednesday so investigators can examine and remove the wreckage.<\/p>\n Snowfall was heavy at the time of the crash in many other parts of the country, but accumulation had just started in Bangor and other planes had been taking off safely.<\/p>\n This particular plane model \u201chas a history of problems with icing on takeoff\u201d that has caused previous crashes, aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti said. The former federal crash investigator said even a little bit of ice on the wings can cause serious problems, so this plane would have needed to be deiced before takeoff but it\u2019s not clear when or if that was done. <\/p>\n The jet was registered to a corporation that shares the same address in Houston, Texas as the personal injury law firm Arnold and Itkin Trial Lawyers, and one of the law firm\u2019s founding partners is listed as the registered agent for the company that owns the plane.<\/p>\n FTA, NTSB investigate fatal crash<\/p>\n The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The NTSB said preliminary information shows the plane crashed upon departure and experienced a post-crash fire, but that it would have no further statement until after investigators arrive in a day or two.<\/p>\n An audio recording of air traffic controllers posted by www.LiveATC.net<\/a> includes someone saying \u201cAircraft upside down. We have a passenger aircraft upside down,\u201d about 45 seconds after a plane was cleared for takeoff. First responders arrived less than a minute later, airport director Jose Saavedra said. <\/p>\n Bangor International Airport offers direct commercial flights to cities like Orlando, Florida, Washington, D.C., and Charlotte, North Carolina, and is located about 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Boston. As one of the closest U.S. airports to Europe, it\u2019s also used to refuel private jets flying overseas.<\/p>\n Crash occurred as major storm hit New England<\/p>\n The crash happened as New England and much of the country grappled with a massive winter storm. Bangor had undergone steady snowfall Sunday, though planes were landing and departing around the time of the crash, Saavedra said.<\/p>\n The National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine, said the airport received nearly 10 inches of snow in total, though the snowfall was just beginning at the time of the crash. About a tenth of an inch of snow fell between midnight and 7 p.m. Sunday, and snowfall was light but steady at the time. The service said wind speeds were about 10 mph, which is not out of the ordinary, at the time of the crash.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have crews on site that respond to weather storms on a regular basis,\u201d Saavedra said. \u201cThis is normal for us to respond to weather events.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout the weekend, the vast storm dumped sleet, freezing rain and snow<\/a> across much of the eastern half of the U.S., halting much air and road traffic and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the Southeast. <\/p>\n Commercial air traffic was also heavily disrupted around much of the U.S. Some 12,000 flights were canceled Sunday and nearly 20,000 were delayed, according to the flight tracker flightaware.com<\/a>. Airports in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York and New Jersey were among those impacted.<\/p>\n Jet has history of problems with ice<\/p>\n The Bombardier Challenger 600 is a wide-bodied business jet configured for nine to 11 passengers. It was launched in 1980 as the first private jet with a \u201cwalk-about cabin\u201d and remains a popular charter option, according to aircharterservice.com.<\/p>\n