Small jet crashes during takeoff at Bangor International Airport amid winter storm

Investigators are combing through wreckage this morning at Bangor International Airport after a small jet crashed on the runway Sunday night while attempting to take off.

(NBC)- Investigators are combing through wreckage this morning at Bangor International Airport after a small jet crashed on the runway Sunday night while attempting to take off.

Air traffic control audio captured the initial emergency response, reporting an aircraft overturned with three crew members and possibly five passengers on board. The FAA confirms the aircraft was a Bombardier Challenger 600, carrying eight people at the time of the crash.

The incident happened just before 8 p.m. Authorities have not released information on fatalities or injuries.

Bangor Police say the scene remains active as crews work to manage the response and investigation. At the time of the crash, visibility was about three-quarters of a mile, with light snow falling. It is not yet clear whether weather played a role.

Airport officials urged the public to avoid Bangor International Airport, and the runway was closed overnight as the investigation began.

Meanwhile, the massive winter storm continues to disrupt air travel nationwide. More than 11,000 flights were canceled Sunday, surpassing cancellation levels seen during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands more flights were delayed due to snow, ice, and arctic temperatures.

Major airports across the country were hit hard, including LaGuardia and Philadelphia, where more than 90 percent of flights were grounded. Crews worked overnight to de-ice aircraft and clear runways in the Washington, D.C. area, with Reagan National Airport especially impacted.

The storm also caused significant disruptions at southern airports, including Atlanta, where empty TSA lines — a rare sight — highlighted the scale of the travel chaos.