Clarence Center, NY, Feb. 12, 2009
Continental Connection Flight 3407, enroute from Newark, NJ, to Buffalo, NY, crashed into a house, killing all 49 people aboard the plane and one person in the house in what a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator termed a "sudden catastrophic event." The crash, which occurred at about 10:20 P.M., destroyed the house and ignited an intense fire. Firefighters and other emergency personnel responded from throughout the area. Clarence Center firefighters were assisted by crews from Akron, Bowmansville, Brighton, Clarence, East Amherst, Harris Hill, Lancaster, Main Transit, Millgrove, Newstead, North Amherst, Rapids and Swormville, as well as Buffalo Niagara International Airport's Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) unit. At presstime, NTSB investigators were trying to determine the cause of the crash, adding that it could take the board up to a year to release its final report.
