UPDATE 9 0931 EST
A Bombardier CL-600 Challenger has apparently skidded off the
end of the runway at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, crashing into
a building and sparking a major fire.
Here's the amazing news: It appears that no one died in the
firey accident.
New York radio station WCBS reports its traffic helicopter pilot
flew near the scene of the Wednesday morning accident, saying the
Challenger broke through the airport barrier fence and slammed into
a building across Highway 46.
The aircraft carried as many as eleven passengers and crew
members. Witnesses say the aircraft appeared to have reached full
speed on its take-off run, but never got off the ground.
As the speeding jet crashed through the barrier fence and
crossed the highway, authorities say it impacted several vehicles
along the road. New Jersey state troopers said their initial count
showed two people injured and eleven missing.
Authorities at Teterboro Airport say the aircraft was headed for
Chicago's Midway Airport.
The aircraft came to rest inside a warehouse at the end of the
runway. The left wing was separated from the fuselage and the
wreckage was burning. Fire crews were spraying foam on the
fuselage, which appeared to be intact.
The aircraft, N370V, is a 1980 model CL-600 Challenger
registered to a company called DDH Aviation, based near Love Field
in Dallas.
The NTSB's Peter Goelz told Fox News that investigators would
take an early look at what he called "cold soaking" -- especially
in the wake of another corporate accident in Colorado late last
year, in which a television executive's son was lost.
The weather appeared clear and the temperature was approximately
28F at the time of the accident. There appeared to be plenty of
snow accumulated on the ground -- and at the end of the active
runway, although the runway itself appeared clear and dry.
NTSB Launches 'GO' Team
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a Go- Team
to investigate the accident today involving a corporate jet
aircraft at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. Bill English will be
the Investigator-in-Charge (IIC). NTSB Member Deborah Hersman will
accompany the team and serve as principal spokesperson for the
on-scene investigation.
This story is getting major airplay on the nation's cable news
channels and some of the real-time commentary is pretty
embarassing. Aero-News will update this story throughout the
day, as details develop.