Seven people were killed and a lone person miraculously survived after a private jet flipped upside down and crashed as it was taking off in heavy snow in Maine late Sunday – as chilling audio captured an eerie message in the final moment before the tragedy.
The twin-engine turbo-fan Bombardier Challenger 600 went up in flames after it went down at Bangor International Airport at about 7:45 p.m. during Winter Storm Fern, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
In a radio recording taken as the plane was preparing to take off, an unidentified voice could be heard saying “let there be light.”
The twin-engine turbo-fan Bombardier Challenger 600 flipped upside down during a deadly crash at Bangor International Airport.WABI
It wasn’t clear if a pilot or an air traffic controller made the remark, or what specifically they may have been referring to at the time.
Minutes later, another voice could be heard repeatedly shouting “all traffic is stopped on the field” — as emergency crews rushed to the scene.
Audio from air traffic controllers captured someone saying, “aircraft upside down, we have a passenger aircraft upside down,” roughly 45 seconds after the jet was cleared to take off.
The identities of those on board weren’t immediately available. The jet was registered to the major Texas personal-injury law firm, Arnold & Itkin.
The sole survivor was a crew member who was left seriously injured, according to officials.
The fatal incident at the Maine airport left seven people dead.AP
Preliminary details indicated the business jet crashed as it was trying to take off and quickly exploded into flames, investigators said.
The cause of the wreck is still under investigation.
Snowfall was heavy at the time but only a couple of inches had fallen at that point.
Other planes were taking off safely at the time, officials said.
One of the law firm’s founding partners is listed as the registered agent for the company that owns the plane.
Both Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin, the firm’s owners, are major donors to Texas Longhorns football — pledging a combined $40 million to the college program, the Houston Chronicle reported. They are also political donors, who created a PAC to “protect the constitutional rights of all Texans” — contributing to Republicans in the Lone Star State.
The airport was closed immediately after the crash and won’t reopen until at least noon on Wednesday.
