US private plane crash kills 7, critically injures 1 at Maine airport

A private jet carrying eight people crashed while taking off from Bangor International Airport in Maine on Sunday evening, killing seven people and leaving one person seriously injured, according to preliminary information released by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The twin-engine turbofan Bombardier Challenger 600 went down at around 7:45 p.m. local time (0045 GMT on Monday) as it was departing from the airport, the FAA said.

The fate of those on board was initially unclear, but a government official briefed on the incident told Reuters there was a significant fire following the crash.


The aircraft had earlier arrived in Maine after a flight from Texas, the official said.

The FAA said it will investigate the crash in coordination with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).