The Buffalo News reports, "Forensic anthropologists and aviation experts are walking grids in Clarence Center, where Continental Express Flight 3407 went down, trying to determine what caused the craft to take a horrific vertical dive." They will mark every spot "where human remains, pieces of the aircraft and personal effects are recovered." The flight's 49 passengers and crew were killed, as was the owner of the home where the plane crashed. According to the NTSB, recovery of the bodies may take several days; here is a partial list of victims.
The Erie County Emergency Coordinator David Bissonette said at a press conference, "All the damage was specific to that one property and that one structure. here was a garage to the immediate south that had a little bit of exposure damage, but other than that, limited to the one property." Karen Wielenski, whose house was leveled and husband Doug was killed, described what happened, "I heard a noise; planes do go over our house, but this sounded very different. I thought to myself, if that's a plane, it's going to hit something. Next thing I knew, the ceiling was on me."
About a dozen houses were evacuated and residents won't be able to return for a few days. Bissonette said residents were understanding but added that if anyone "challenge[s] the secure zone, they will be arrested. This is a serious thing. It's an investigation." An Erie County Sheriff's Department sergeant explained, "We're avoiding treasure hunters and YouTubers"
The plane, a Bombardier Q400, was operated by regional operator Colgan Air. Colgan is a part of Memphis-based Pinnacle, which said that the turboprop plane was less than a year old. Virginia Commonwealth University professor George Hoffer explained to the Star-Ledger, "A turboprop is a jet engine with a propeller. Its advantage is that it gets better fuel economy than a jet, and it can land or take off on a short runway. The real advantage of a jet is greater speed, and it can fly above the weather."
