Black Boxes Recovered From Charred Wreckage
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Black Boxes Recovered From Charred Wreckage
Investigators recovered the black box recorders Friday from the charred wreckage of a commuter plane that crashed into a house while on approach to the Buffalo, N.Y. airport.
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CLARENCE, N.Y. (February 13, 2009)--Investigators recovered the two black box recorders Friday from the burned-out wreckage of a plane that crashed Thursday night near Buffalo, killing all 49 aboard and one person on the ground.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said Friday that the flight data and cockpit voice recorders were sent to Washington for examination.

Continental Connection Flight 3407 crashed into a house late Thursday as it approached the Buffalo airport.

An NTSB team is trying to determine what caused the 74-seat plane to drop out of the sky without warning.

Federal safety officials said the crew of Continental Connection Flight 3407 discussed "significant ice buildup" on the aircraft's wings before it crashed.

The woman who survived when the plane crashed into her home as she and her daughter were watching television in different parts of the house said Friday both were pinned in the wreckage.

Karen Wielinski told Buffalo radio station WBEN-AM that she was in the family room of her home in Clarence and her Jill, 22, was upstairs.

Wielinski says she knew something was wrong when she heard a plane approaching and says, "The next thing I knew the ceiling was on me."

She says she managed to crawl out of a hole in the wreckage as fire erupted around her.

Her daughter escaped in a similar manner.

Wielinski says she still hasn't been told of the fate of her husband, Doug, who was in another part of the house.

NTSB Web Site

Latest Comments

Posted by: Ron Location: Waco on Feb 14, 2009 at 01:32 AM

I am sorry for the loss of all on board and the person on the ground. That type aircraft is very similar to the AA ATR-72. The ATR is the one that crashed into the ground in Indiana killing everyone on board several years ago. The cause of that crash was ice on the wing and the wing de-icers did not work well enough to keep them clear. AA had to shift all ATR's to warmer climates in the south. It sounds like this aircraft has exactly the same problem. My advice to Colgan Air is to stop flying and buying this aircraft. Cancel any remaining contracts for purchase of this aircraft. There are planes out there that will hold 75 people and do not have this problem.
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