Continental Flight 3407

- May 2009: The National Transportation Safety Board held a three-day hearing investigating the crash
- Continental Flight 3407 crashed into a home in Clarence Center, New York, on February 12, 2009
- Plane went down sometime after 10: 00 PM
- 49 people were aboard and one man on the ground were killed
- Plane type: Bombardier Dash 8 Q400; plane was a 74-seat turbopropCNN: Plane crashes into house in suburban Buffalo (February 12, 2009)
- Clarence Center is a suburb of Buffalo, New York
- Two other non-passengers at the scene were injured
- The plane struck a home and burst into flamesCNN: Plane crashes into house in suburban Buffalo (February 12, 2009)
- Crew reported mechanical issues sometime before the crashThe Buffalo News: 49 killed as plane crashed into home in Clarence Center (February 12, 2009)
- Approximately 12 other homes were evacuated nearby, which also caught on fire
- According to onlookers, the flames were 40 to 50 feet highThe Buffalo News: 49 killed as plane crashed into home in Clarence Center (February 12, 2009)
- Lorenda Ward lead the crash investigation
- Deadliest plane crash since 2006's Comair commuter jet in KentuckyUSA Today: Error in Comair crash fairly common (August 28, 2006)
- Three men, including Paul Twaragowski, missed the flightNew York Daily News: Delay kept them off doomed Flight 3407 (February 14, 2009)

Continental Flight 3407 crashed into a house in a Buffalo, New York, suburb on February 12, 2009, killing all 49 people on board as well as one man on the ground. Captain Renslow reportedly forced the nose of the plane too high, which caused the plane to stall, when he pushed the wrong way on the stick after the stall warning went off.NY1: Cockpit Recorder Reveals Chatter Minutes Before Buffalo Crash (May 12, 2009)
On May 12, 2009, during the first day of a three-day hearing in Washington D.C., the National Transportation Safety Board released the cockpit voice recorder transcript. The transcript revealed that just minutes before the crash First Officer Rebecca Shaw and Captain Marvin Renslow talked about their fears of flying in icy weather.NY1: Cockpit Recorder Reveals Chatter Minutes Before Buffalo Crash (May 12, 2009)
Cockpit Voice Recorder Transcript

In early May 2009, the National Transportation Safety Board released the cockpit voice recorder transcript revealing that six minutes before the plane went down, Captain Renslow told First Officer Shaw, "Oh yeah that's the most I've seen, most ice I've seen on the leading edges in a long time, in a while anyway I should say." Shortly after, Shaw responded, "I've never seen icing conditions. I've never de-iced. I've never seen any. I've never experienced any of that. I don't want to have to experience that and make those kinds of calls . . . You know I'd have freaked out. I'd have like seen this much ice and thought, oh my gosh, we were going to crash."NY1: Cockpit Recorder Reveals Chatter Minutes Before Buffalo Crash (May 12, 2009)
The last words heard from Captain Renslow were "Jesus Christ!", followed by Shaw screaming.NY Post: Buffalo Crash Pilots Final Words (May 12, 2009)
No Mechanical Failure

Although the initial investigation focused possible ice buildup on the wings and tail, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) later announced that the plane had been working normally. Lorenda Ward of the NTSB said, "Some ice accumulation was likely present on the airplane prior to the initial upset event, but the airplane continued to respond as expected to flight control inputs throughout the accident flight.""NY1: Cockpit Recorder Reveals Chatter Minutes Before Buffalo Crash (May 12, 2009)
Early Reports

As details emerged from the investigation, no solid cause for the plane crash was evident. The craft was reportedly on auto pilot and there was no severe weather in the area, though the pilots reported some icing. The plane went through roller-coaster-like maneuvers during its final seconds of flight, subjecting the passengers to up to twice the normal gravitational pull. As investigators continued to examine the black box from the crash site, crews sifted through the wreckage to recover the bodies of the victims. The only two survivors in the incident were the wife and daughter of the victim in the house that was destroyed in the crash.CNN: NTSB: Plane rolled violently before crash (February 16, 2009)
Background

The flight, operated by Colgan Air, Inc., was headed from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo when it crashed into the home and burst into flames sometime after 10:00 PM, according to New York State Trooper John Manthey.CNN: Plane crashes into house in suburban Buffalo (February 12, 2009) The crew had reported mechanical problems sometime before the crash, though there was little communication with the tower.The Buffalo News: 49 killed as plane crashed into home in Clarence Center (February 12, 2009)
Chuck Mangione Band Members

Two members of Chuck Mangione's jazz band, Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett, died in the Continental plane crash. The musicians were scheduled to perform with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra on the evening of February 12, 2009.Buffalo News: 2 Mangione musicians die in plane crash (February 13, 2009)
Witness Quote

"I can't imagine that anyone survived it," he said. "If you heard that explosion, and you saw how fast the whole area was on fire, it was pretty clear that it was jet fuel burning. There was the initial boom, and then these cannon shots ... these loud secondary explosions, and they went on for about 10 minutes."—David Luce, nearby residentThe Buffalo News: 49 killed as plane crashed into home in Clarence Center (February 12, 2009)