All seven people aboard a small private jet were killed when the plane crashed and caught fire in a wooded area while taking off from an air force base in Massachusetts, US authorities said today.
The Gulfstream IV jet was taking off yesterday from the Hanscom Air Force Base when it ran into a wooded area.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane apparently caught fire, and photos appearing on social media purporting to be of the crash site show flames and smoke.
All seven aboard the jet died, CNN quoted Sharon Williams, director of Hanscom Field airport, as saying.
She did not give the names of the deceased.
Officials said the private aircraft that was heading to Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Fire department rescuers responded to the scene of the crash early today.
Airport operations have been shut down.
Nearby residents recounted seeing a fireball and feeling the blast of the explosion shake their homes, local media reported.
Hanscom Field is a joint military and civilian facility located 32 km outside of Boston.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating and will determine the cause of the accident, said Jim Peters, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The airport is regularly used by corporations for travel and also as a secondary airport to Boston's Logan International Airport.
