image: CNN
All three people on board an Embraer Phenom jet and three people on the ground died when the aircraft crashed into a home in suburban Gaithersburg, Maryland, about 10:45 local time Monday morning. A woman and her two small children, who lived in the house, have been confirmed dead. The house was heavily damaged and burned, and several nearby houses also were damaged. The NTSB has sent a team to the site to investigate. The FAA said the jet was on approach to nearby Montgomery County Airpark.
A witness told the local NBC affiliate the airplane appeared to be “extremely low” on approach to the airport, and the “wings were wobbling back and forth, very unsteadily.” The airplane made two hard banks then rolled and dived to the ground, the witness said. Other pilots had reported birds in the area shortly before the crash, according to news reports. The jet is registered to Sage Aviation out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.Dr. Michael Rosenberg, the owner of Sage Aviation, died in the crash, according to local news reports.It was the first fatal crash for the Phenom 100 fleet.
AVweb will update this story as more information becomes available.
