Seven killed as private jet crashes during snowstorm at US's Maine Airport

The Bombardier Challenger 600, carrying eight people, went down around 7:45 p.m. Sunday as New England and large parts of the United States were hit by a powerful winter storm.

The airport, located about 200 miles north of Boston, was closed immediately following the crash and is expected to remain shut until at least noon Wednesday.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the jet flipped over and caught fire shortly after attempting to take off.

Air traffic control recordings captured a controller reporting that an aircraft was “upside down” roughly 45 seconds after the plane was cleared for departure. First responders reached the scene within a minute, airport officials said.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched investigations into the incident.

The NTSB said preliminary information indicates the aircraft crashed upon departure and experienced a post-crash fire, but declined to provide further details until investigators arrive at the site in the coming days.

Airport director Jose Saavedra said authorities were awaiting guidance from federal agencies before releasing information about the victims. The NTSB clarified that victim identification is handled by local authorities.

The crash occurred during steady snowfall, though airport officials noted that flights were continuing to land and depart around the time of the incident.

“We have crews on site that respond to weather storms on a regular basis,” Saavedra said, adding that such conditions were not unusual for the airport.

The accident unfolded as a massive winter storm swept across much of the eastern United States, dumping snow, sleet, and freezing rain, disrupting air and road travel and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes.

Nationwide, approximately 12,000 flights were canceled and nearly 20,000 delayed on Sunday, according to flight-tracking data.

The Bombardier Challenger 600 is a wide-body business jet typically configured to carry between nine and 11 passengers. Introduced in 1980, it remains a popular aircraft for charter operations.