Jet crashes into building

TETERBORO, N.J. – A corporate jet careened off the runway during takeoff from Teterboro Airport on Wednesday, skidding across rush-hour traffic and smashing into a warehouse. There were no reported deaths.

Hospital officials said at least 21 people were being treated for injuries that ranged from critical to bumps and scratches. At least one faces life-threatening injuries.

The jet, which was carrying 11 people, was bound for Chicago’s Midway Airport, said Alison Duquette, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C. The plane never lifted off the ground, Duquette said. Instead, at 7:20 a.m., it hurtled off one of Teterboro’s runways and plowed through a black security fence. It smashed into one car and clipped another, injuring at least three people as it crossed six lanes on Route 46. It then punched through the brick wall of the warehouse, a distribution center for Strawberry clothing.

“The building shook for a minute, then there was fire, a lot of fire,” said Tommy Ficarra, a plant manager. Passengers and crewmembers crawled from the wreckage.

A man who was in one of the cars suffered a severe head injury and was unconscious and on a respirator at Hackensack University Medical Center on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

The plane’s co-pilot was also at the hospital and undergoing surgery for multiple leg fractures. A bystander was being treated for abdominal pain, said Dr. Joseph Feldman, director of the emergency/trauma department.

The hospital treated 18 people, including the plane’s eight passengers, its pilot and four firefighters who were overwhelmed by jet fuel fumes, Feldman said. One firefighter also suffered minor head injuries and dehydration. Most of the patients were decontaminated in tents set up outside the emergency to remove any jet fuel.

Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, N.J., treated three people, including a flight attendant and a man who was in one of the cars hit by the plane.

One person in the large warehouse was injured, said Dave Daniel, vice president for distribution at Strawberry.

“I came outside the office where it was and saw the plane in flames,” said Daniel, of Clifton. “I heard a loud thunder and the building felt like it was shaking for like four or five seconds.”

The facility was basically empty when the crash occurred. “If it would have been an hour later, everyone would have been in there,” Ficarra said.

The plane was a twin-engine Canadair Challenger 600, which can carry 12 to 15 passengers and is widely used for business and charter flights. The plane was cleared for take-off, Duquette said.

“We’re not aware of any unusual communication,” Duquette said. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

The plane is owned by DDH Aviation, based at Love Field in Dallas, said Ken Ringler, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Once used by weekend recreational fliers, Teterboro has grown into one of the nation’s busiest small airports, catering to corporate jets looking to avoid the hassles of larger airports.