Children Screaming “The Plane Went Down!” First Indication of Crash to Locals

People in the small town of Bedford in Massachusetts are used to hearing and seeing small planes and private jets take off from Hanscom Field.  As they sat around their firepits, finished yardwork, or were preparing supper, they were alarmed by the shaking of houses and people in the neighborhood, particulary children who never seemed to tire of watching the planes take off and land, screaming “the plane went down! the plane went down!”.  Local 911 dispatchers said their lines lit up with people reporting the horrible accident.  While no witness has yet been found who saw the plane “break ground” (hit the ground), several people heard the violent impact as it did. Houses shook and several large explosions were heard as the plane skidded through a fence, hit a large antenna, and then came to rest in a deep ravine in a creek.  The jet was holding several thousand pounts of fuel, which began to leak into the creek.  It was apparent to first responders on the scene that no one could have survived the violent and fiery crash.  The plane took off normally from the airport, but almost immediately ran into some type of trouble, leading the jet to crash just 2,000 feet from the end of the runway.

There were 7 people aboard the Gulfstream IV when it crashed. We know that one of them is Lewis Katz, owner of several newspapers and publishing companies and former owner of the New Jersey Nets has been identified as one of the people aboard the plane.  Two other passengers have been named as well, but authorities are not releasing the names of the other four.  Most of the victims were not removed from the smoldering remains of the craft until late this evening.

The townspeople of Bedford are sad and unsettled by the crash in their little town. One woman has been reassuring her children all day that it was safe to live near the airport and that they could go to sleep without worrying about a plane hitting their house. But, she says, it’s hard to reassure the children when she needs some reassuring herself.  Hopefully, the NTSB report will have some answers to the many questions that surround this terrible tragedy.