Fatality Reported In Turbulence Incident

CBS News Analyst Robert Sumwalt is reporting that one person died on a Bombardier Challenger 300 that encountered severe turbulence and diverted to Bradley Field in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, on…

CBS News Analyst Robert Sumwalt is reporting that one person died on a Bombardier Challenger 300 that encountered severe turbulence and diverted to Bradley Field in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, on Friday. Sumwalt, who was head of the NTSB before joining the network as its Transportation Safety Analyst, said the aircraft is registered to a Kansas company. He's also head of the Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle. A major winter storm moved into the area on Friday bringing high winds and snow. The storm was expected to drop as much as a foot of snow over parts of New England.

The FAA confirmed the aircraft had diverted and issued the following statement to AVweb: "A Bombardier CL30 jet diverted to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, around 4 p.m. local time Friday, March 3, after encountering severe turbulence. The pilot was flying from Dillant-Hopkins Airport in Keene, New Hampshire, to Leesburg Executive Airport in Virginia. Five people were on board. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate."

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.