A private jet carrying eight people crashed during takeoff from the Bangor International Airport in Maine on the evening of Jan. 25, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The FAA told USA TODAY that a Bombardier Challenger 600 crashed as it was taking off from the airport at around 7:45 p.m. local time on Jan. 25. Eight people were on board the aircraft.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
"An incident at the airport is under investigation," the Bangor International Airport said in aFacebook postshortly before 8:30 p.m. local time. "First responders are on scene and assessing the situation."
No additional details were immediately provided, but the airport said the runway was closed and urged the public to avoid the airport.
A government official who was briefed on the incident told Reuters there was a significant fire after the crash and that the plane had arrived in Maine following a flight from Texas.
The aviation-tracking website FlightRadar24posted on Xthat it was following reports of a plane crash at Bangor. FlightRadar24 reported that data indicated the aircraft was attempting to depart from the airport after arriving from Houston.
Bangor International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in the city of Bangor, about 129 miles northeast of Portland. The airport has a single runway.
The incident came amid afierce winter stormthat has brought heavy snow and frigid temperatures to the Northeast. A winter storm warning for Bangor remained in effect until early Jan. 27, according to theNational Weather Service.
This is a developing story.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Private jet carrying 8 people crashes in Maine, FAA says
