Clashing reports of the number of people killed in a plane crash in Bangor and whether there were any survivors sowed confusion during the first 20 hours of the investigation into the city’s deadliest airplane disaster.
Six people are presumed dead in Sunday night’s crash at the Bangor International Airport, according to Bangor police. The victims are still being identified, police spokesperson Jeremy Brock said, but the identity of one victim was disclosed by a Texas official on Monday.
The jet flipped over and caught fire as it was taking off around 7:45 p.m., according to federal authorities and air traffic controller recordings.
But little else is known about the fatal event, including what caused it and who was on board. Though experts say it’s not unusual to not have these answers at this point in an investigation, the complete lack of information being shared by Bangor officials stands in stark contrast to the last fatal plane crash in the city.
The airport first acknowledged the crash about 40 minutes after it happened and issued a statement about an “incident” at the airport and to avoid the area. The first press release from Brock two hours later also simply cited an “incident.”
More than 14 hours later, Bangor’s Airport Director Jose Saavedra would not confirm during a press conference if there were any fatalities in the crash or if any victims were transported to the hospital. He would not share any identifying information about the plane or its destination.
Saavedra declined to share any information because it’s an ongoing investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board will take over, he said.
The NTSB does not release information about the extent of injuries or fatalities, the board told the Bangor Daily News. Release of that information is handled by local authorities.
Saavedra also said NTSB was “en route” and would likely arrive Monday afternoon or evening.
However, NTSB has said since early Monday morning that it would be a day or two until the board made it to Bangor. A spokesperson confirmed Monday afternoon that Tuesday was a likely arrival, but it is “hard to predict.”
Saavedra said he was unaware of potential delays when asked about the discrepancy by a BDN reporter.
An hour after Saavedra’s press conference, a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration cited seven fatalities in the plane crash, along with a survivor in serious condition.
Bangor police and the airport put out a statement disputing that information nearly three hours later, citing unverified and unvetted reports.
It’s unclear where the FAA’s number came from and a spokesperson said the preliminary report is always subject to change.
“I have questions myself, but unfortunately I don’t have answers or any information as far as how they get that information,” Brock said of the FAA’s preliminary report.
Officials have been tight-lipped about sharing any information because of the need to vet information, Brock said.
Bangor police are working with Maine’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Brock said.
A spokesperson with the office did not respond to a request for comment. State offices are closed Monday because of the storm.
This sort of confusion following a plane crash is not unheard of, according to John Cox, a former executive air safety chairman for the Air Line Pilots Association International who has contributed to multiple NTSB investigations.
“I’ve trained accident investigators. One of the things that I tell them is, be very careful of information the first 24 hours to 48 hours. Almost half of it will turn out to be wrong,” Cox said.
“The FAA is probably the most likely good source, but I have seen them even have to revise things,” he added.
But the lack of information from city officials after Sunday night’s disaster differs greatly from how details were shared in the wake of the last fatal plane crash in Bangor.
Luigi Accusani, 74, of Italy died on Aug. 22 when the single-engine Cessna he was flying crashed shortly after taking off from the Bangor International Airport.
Bangor Fire Chief Geoffrey Low confirmed the fatality within two hours. Low did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
The crash came as Bangor and most of the United States was hit by a winter storm. In Bangor the snowstorm limited visibility on Sunday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
The plane is still on the ground where it landed, which is standard until NTSB investigates and releases the scene, Saavedra said. He did not answer a question about if the plane was blocking the runway.
The airport is closed until at least Tuesday, Saavedra said.
Paul Case and Mary Jane Estery were about to board their flight to Orlando on Sunday night when they “felt a boom.” They weren’t able to see what happened and didn’t think much of it, they said.
Their flight was canceled and they learned of the plane crash through social media.
The boom was felt by two other women, Cindy Rogers and Kathy Yergin, who were also waiting to board the Orlando flight.
Case and Estery were rebooked for a flight Tuesday afternoon, but they were told the timing may change, depending on when the runway is clear.