Maine Plane Crash: 8 Lives Hang in the Balance! What Happened?!

Tragedy struck Bangor, Maine, Sunday evening as a private jet carrying eight people crashed on takeoff at Bangor International Airport. The FAA confirmed the incident, reporting that the Bombardier Challenger 600 went down around 7:45 p.m. The immediate aftermath is understandably chaotic, and as of yet, there's no official word on the condition of those onboard. We're all holding our breath here, hoping for the best in a situation that, frankly, looks grim.

Maine Plane Crash: 8 Lives Hang in the Balance! Wh...

The FAA and NTSB are already on the case, launching investigations to determine the cause of the crash. These investigations are typically thorough and can take months, even years, to complete. But, naturally, everyone wants answers now.

Adding a layer of complication to this already awful situation is the massive winter storm that's been hammering the East Coast. Bangor, like much of New England, was blanketed in snow all day Sunday. You have to wonder if the weather played a role, though it's far too early to jump to conclusions. We all know how quickly conditions can change in a winter storm, though.

Airport officials have confirmed that emergency crews are on the scene. The airport is currently shut down. Makes sense. They described it as an "incident involving a single aircraft departing the airport," which is putting it mildly, I suppose. Getting emergency personnel on site in these conditions is itself a challenge, and you have to commend their efforts.

The storm, by the way, has been a monster. It delivered everything from sleet to freezing rain and snow across a huge swath of the eastern U.S. over the weekend. Hundreds of thousands lost power, mostly down south, and both air and ground transportation have been a nightmare. I know several people who had their flights canceled this weekend – myself included, actually. Luckily, I wasn't trying to take off in a blizzard!

The broader impact on air travel has been significant. FlightAware.com, a website I often use to track flights, reported something like 12,000 flight cancellations and nearly 20,000 delays on Sunday alone. Major airports up and down the coast were affected. Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey – the list goes on. It really underscores the vulnerability of our infrastructure to extreme weather events. Let's hope we soon receive updates on the condition of the passengers. We'll continue to update this story as more information becomes available.