US plane crashes into New York home, killing 49

All 48 passengers and crew, plus one person on the ground, were killed when a plane crashed into a house outside Buffalo, New York on Thursday and burst into flames, officials said.

The plane, a Continental Express flight operated by Colgan Air, was on a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo, when it crashed in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence Center amid rain and sleet, local officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said there were 44 passengers and four crew on the plane and it crashed 6 miles (10 km) short of the airport.

A local official said the plane was a 74-seat Bombardier Q400, a turboprop plane. The plane is made by Bombardier Inc. Colgan Air is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp.

A man who gave his name only as Tony told a local television station that the plane flew right over his car, "nose down."

"Left wing was slightly down, pitched sideways, if you will," he said. "It was on a direct line down."

It sounded quite loud, and then the sound stopped...Then one or two seconds later, there was a thunderous explosion. I thought something hit our house. It shook our whole house

Witness

Like an earthquake

One person who heard the crash from about three quarters of a mile (1 km) away, said the crash sounded like an earthquake.

"It was almost like on TV where you hear this high pitched sound. It was like an earthquake. You could feel it," the witness, Keith Burtis, told MSNBC.

"I'm downwind from it and the smoke and smell is still pretty strong," he said.

David Luce, who lives about 150 yards (meters) from the crash scene, told the Buffalo News he heard a huge explosion and saw flames 40-50 feet in the air.

"It sounded quite loud, and then the sound stopped," Luce said. "Then one or two seconds later, there was a thunderous explosion. I thought something hit our house. It shook our whole house."

"There was the initial boom, and then these cannon shots ... these loud secondary explosions, and they went on for about 10 minutes."

After a few minutes, Luce said he walked out to take a look at the wreckage and saw the house was destroyed.

"The house was already flattened. There was no house, just a pile of rubble and still burning," he said.

It was almost like on TV where you hear this high pitched sound. It was like an earthquake. You could feel it...I'm downwind from it and the smoke and smell is still pretty strong

Witness