updated february 6 flight 522 crash - hudson river landing:

Crews search for survivors in Brazilian plane crash

(CNN) -- Brazilian rescue teams braved strong currents Sunday looking for survivors of a plane that crashed a day earlier into a river in the Amazon.

Four passengers who were aboard the Brazilian-made Bandeirante turboprop have been found, according to the plane's operator Manaus Aerotaxi.

Brazil's Folha de Sao Paulo, a national daily, said rescue teams recovered six bodies so far. One 9-year-old child was among the survivors, the newspaper said.

According to Manaus Aeorotaxi's passenger list, the plane was carrying 17 adults, seven children and two crew members, local media reported.

Authorities said the plane took off Saturday from Coari, about 225 miles (362 kilometers) southwest of Manaus, and fell into the Manacapuru river, a tributary of the Amazon River.

Civil Defense Coordinator Daniel Guedes told O Coariense, a local Coari newspaper, that the plane was trying to make an emergency landing on a make-shift landing strip.

"The survivors said they saw one of the plane's motors shut down. We thought he would try to land on a deactivated landing strip but he couldn't make it," said Guedes.

"The circumstances and causes of the accident are still not known and are being investigated by authorities," Manaus Aerotaxi said in a statement.

O Coariense also reported that the plane was hired by family members of a known businessman, Omar Melo, and they intended to surprise him on his birthday on Saturday.

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updated February 6, flight 522 crash 'running on autopilot towards nuclear event' :


NKorea Pursuing Space Program

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Seoul (AFP) Feb 7, 2009
North Korea on Saturday said it was actively pursuing a space programme, amid reports from US and South Korean officials that Pyongyang is preparing to test fire a long-range missile.
Rodong Sinmun, the official daily of the ruling communist party, said the North had every right to develop a space programme, as a member of the international community.

"The DPRK's (North Korea) policy of advancing to space for peaceful purposes is a justifiable aim that fits the global trend of the times. There is no power in the world that can stop it," the newspaper said in an editorial.

"As long as developing and using space are aimed at peaceful purposes and such efforts contribute to enhancing human beings' happiness, no one in the world can find fault with them," the paper said.

It noted that Iran on Monday successfully launched a satellite carried by a home-built rocket, setting alarm bells ringing among Western powers because of the implications for the range of its ballistic missiles.

Rodong said North Korea had long been working on space research and development.

"Currently, our scientists and engineers, in keeping with the international trend, are actively pushing ahead with projects aimed at utilising space for peaceful goals," it added.

Officials in Seoul and Washington say there are signs the communist state is preparing to test its Taepodong-2 missile, which has a range of 6,700 kilometres (4,100 miles) and could theoretically reach Alaska.

The missile was initially launched in 2006 but failed after 40 seconds, according to US officials.

A Seoul government source told Yonhap news agency that a missile recently spotted by satellite photographs was believed to be a modified Taepodong-2.

The reports come amid rising tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul and stalled six-nation talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear programmes.

Experts disagree on whether the impoverished communist state is technically capable of fitting a nuclear warhead to a missile.

updated february 11

New York honours river crash crew
The pilot and crew of a plane which ditched into the Hudson River after its engines failed have been honoured with the keys to New York City.

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the two pilots and three flight attendants of were "five real American heroes".

Capt Chesley Sullenberger steered the aircraft into the water as it lost power shortly after take-off, saving the lives of all 155 people on board.

He was the last person to leave the plane as it floated on the icy waters.

"It's been called a miracle but in this case there is no miracle without the years of experience and training (of the crew)," Mr Bloomberg told a ceremony attended by all five crew members.

'Life-changing event'

"Air passengers everywhere were reminded that these true professionals aren't there just to serve drinks and snacks, but they're there to keep us safe."

He said the day of the accident "could have been one of our most tragic, but became one of our most triumphant."

First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, and flight attendants Doreen Welsh, Sheila Dail and Donna Dent received the symbolic keys with Capt Sullenberger.

Capt Sullenberger told reporters that the plane was too low, too slow and too far from any airport to land safely.

After intense media focus, particularly in the past week, he said: "It's a life-changing event. My family and I are trying hard to be true to ourselves while still adjusting to this new reality.

"I feel a great obligation to my co-workers, to all the aviation professionals in this country and around the world, to be chosen by circumstances to be a temporary spokesperson and to represent them as well as I can."

Library book

Mr Bloomberg also gave Capt Sullenberger a copy of a library book he had had to leave in the plane.

Entitled Just Culture: Balancing Safety and Accountability, by Sidney Dekker, Mr Bloomberg joked that it could have been written by Capt Sullenberger himself.

Capt Sullenberger twice checked the plane for any remaining passengers or crew before leaving the slowly sinking wreckage.

US authorities confirmed last week that birds collided with both engines of the plane just before it ditched on 16 January.

In a tape of the brief communications between the pilot and an air traffic controller, the pilot is heard calmly saying that he is unable to return to the airport.

"We're gonna be in the Hudson," Capt Sullenberger says, in the last of his messages, less than three minutes after the bird strike was reported.

The plane had only managed to reach an altitude of 3,200ft (975m).

updated February 11 'running on autopiltot towards nuclear event'

US, Russia must work to halt nuclear proliferation

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WASHINGTON, (AFP) - - US President Barack Obama said the United States and Russia should lead the way in preventing nuclear proliferation by restarting negotiations to cut their atomic arsenals.

"I think it's important for the United States and Russia to lead the way on this," Obama told his first news conference.

He added that he has told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev "it is important for us to restart the conversations about how we can start reducing our nuclear arsenals."

With such a push, he said, "we then have the standing to go to other countries and start stitching back together the non-proliferation treaties that, frankly, have been weakened over the last several years."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told her Senate confirmation hearing on January 13 that the new administration would renegotiate the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) expiring December 31.

Clinton said the new administration "will have a very strong commitment to START treaty negotiations" which made little progress under George W. Bush's outgoing team.

State Department negotiators said there was no breakthrough in talks in Moscow in December for a follow-on agreement to replace START-1.

They said a proposal on START from the previous administration focused on limiting nuclear warheads, but Russia wanted to open up the negotiations to limits on conventional forces and US plans for a missile shield in eastern Europe.

Clinton also pledged to bolster the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) that the Bush administration has been accused of neglecting.

Obama raised the issue of proliferation after he declined to speculate when asked if he knew of a country in the Middle East which has nuclear weapons.

"What I know is this: that if we see a nuclear arms race in a region as volatile as the Middle East, everybody will be in danger," he said.

Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, with around 200 nuclear warheads, but has a policy of neither confirming nor denying that.

The Jewish state has refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or allow international surveillance of Dimona nuclear plant, in the southern Negev desert.

The United States, Israel and European allies fear Iran is building a nuclear bomb under the cover of a uranium enrichment program. Iran insists its program is peaceful.

Analysts fear a nuclear arms race in the region if Iran produces a bomb.

updated February 11:

U.S. official: North Korea might be making missile preparations

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. spy satellite snapped an image within the last several days of preparations at a North Korean missile site previously used for Taepodong-2 missile launch operations, a senior U.S. official told CNN Tuesday.

The photograph shows North Korea assembling telemetry equipment at the site -- equipment that would be needed for a launch to take place, the official said, adding that so far, there is no direct evidence of a missile being moved to the launch pad.

Telemetry equipment involves sophisticated electronics used to monitor missile launches. The official said if North Korea moves a missile to the area, it would be a cause for concern and could place the U.S. missile defense site in Alaska on alert.

"It would get folks spun up," the official said.

The last time equipment was assembled at the location, it resulted in the launch of a Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile in 2006.

The Taepodong-2 is believed to have a range of about 2,500 miles, making it capable of striking Alaska. In the 2006 test, the missile failed 40 seconds after launching.

Asked about the matter at a Tuesday press conference, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said: "Well, since the first time that they launched the missile, it flew for a few minutes before crashing, the range of the Taepodong-2 remains to be seen. So far, it's very short.

"I'm not going to get into intelligence reports, but it would be nice if North Korea would focus on getting positive messages across to the -- to its negotiating partners about verification and moving forward with the denuclearization."

The development also comes as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepares to head to Asia, where she will consult with U.S. allies about how to jump-start stalled nuclear talks with North Korea.

On Tuesday, days before the trip is scheduled to start, Clinton said the United States will continue six-party diplomacy aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear program.

She also warned Pyongyang about provocative action against its neighbors.

"We are hopeful that some of the behavior that we have seen coming from North Korea in the last few weeks is ... not a precursor of any action that would up the ante, or threaten the stability and peace and security of the neighbors in the region," Clinton told reporters.

Tension between South Korean and North Korea has increased in recent weeks, with North Korea announcing it will scrap peace agreements with the South, warning of a war on the Korean peninsula and threatening to test a missile capable of hitting the Western United States.

"I know of the continuing concern on the part of the other members of the six-party talks with respect to North Korea's attitude in the last weeks, and I'll be talking with our counterparts to determine the most effective way forward," Clinton said.

updated February 11

Global alert issued for 85 terror suspects

PARIS, France (CNN) -- Interpol has issued a rare global security alert for 85 suspected al Qaeda-linked terrorists wanted by Saudi Arabia.

The "orange alert," issued on Tuesday, comes after Saudi Arabia asked for Interpol's help last week in apprehending the 83 Saudis and two Yemenis.

Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble said the alert is unprecedented.

"Never before has Interpol been asked to alert the world about so many dangerous fugitives at one time," Noble said in a news release.

He also pointed out that the alert comes ahead of the 16th anniversary of the first World Trade Center bombing in New York.

"Therefore must be especially vigilant of fugitive al Qaeda terrorists," Noble said.

Six people were killed and more than 1,000 injured on February 26, 1993, when a 1,200-pound (540 kilogram) bomb exploded in a rented van in the parking garage below Two World Trade Center.

The 85 wanted "terrorists" are suspected of plotting attacks against Saudi Arabia, Interpol said.

It is rare for the kingdom to announce that some of its most wanted terrorists are on the loose. It is also unusual for Saudi Arabia to ask for help in finding them.

By asking for Interpol's help, Saudi Arabia is sending a clear message that it thinks the men are dangerous.

The country has taken great strides to crack down on al Qaeda within its borders, touting the fact that the suspects have fled beyond its borders as proof that operations against them are successful.

In some cases, terror suspects wanted by Saudi Arabia have fled to the neighboring country of Yemen because they can hide out there more safely than Saudi Arabia, a source explained.

Interpol is an international police organization aimed at facilitating cross-border police cooperation. It is headquartered in Lyon, France.

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updated february 11

Russia agrees India nuclear deal

Russia and India have agreed deals totalling $700m by which Moscow will supply uranium pellets to Delhi, Indian and Russian officials say.

Russia's state-owned Atomenergoprom said its TVEL arm had signed the deals on Wednesday with Indian officials.

The deal follows the decision by the Nuclear Suppliers Group in September last year to lift restrictions on uranium deliveries to India.

The international group oversees the reduction of nuclear proliferation.

US accord

Atomenergoprom says the deals are the first long-term nuclear fuel contracts signed with India in recent years.

A statement released by the Indian department of atomic energy said that deals comprise the long-term supply of 2,000 tonnes of natural uranium pellets for India's pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, in addition to another contract for Low Enriched Uranium pellets for Boiling Water Reactor units operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India.

The statement said that imported natural uranium from Russia would be used under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

It said that the deal with Russia was the second major agreement India had made relating to the supply of nuclear fuel since the the Nuclear Suppliers Group allowed international civil nuclear trade with India.

In October the US and India signed a civilian nuclear co-operation accord to end 34 years of US sanctions.

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updated february 11

Russian and US satellites collide

US and Russian communications satellites have collided in space in the first such reported mishap.

A satellite owned by the US company Iridium hit a defunct Russian satellite at high speed nearly 780km (485 miles) over Siberia on Tuesday, Nasa said.

The risk to the International Space Station and a shuttle launch planned for later this month is said to be low.

The impact produced a massive cloud of debris, and the magnitude of the crash is not expected to be clear for weeks.

The reportedly non-operational Russian satellite, weighing 950kg (2,094lb), had been launched in 1993, while the Iridium satellite weighed 560 kg and was launched in 1997.

When two such objects collide with such force, the ensuing debris can destroy other satellites, says the BBC's Andy Gallacher in Florida.

But Nasa said the risk to the ISS and its three astronauts was low as the station orbits the earth some 435km below the course of the collision.

It is hoped that most of the wreckage from the collision will burn up in the earth's atmosphere, our correspondent says.

Hundreds of pieces of wreckage are now being tracked, reports say, adding to the tens of thousands of objects that are routinely tracked through space.

Some 6,000 satellites have been sent into orbit since 1957.

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updated February 11

Pakistan: Arrests made over Mumbai attacks

(CNN) -- The Pakistani government acknowledged Thursday that "some part of the conspiracy" behind the November attacks in India's financial capital, Mumbai, took place in Pakistan.

The comments by Rehman Malik -- the head of the Interior Ministry -- was Pakistan's first formal acknowledgment that Islamic militants trained in his country were behind the plot.

Malik, speaking to reporters, said Pakistani authorities had charged eight people with providing the Mumbai attackers with cell phones and helping them reach the city's shore by boats from Pakistan. Among them is the mastermind, a man who lived in a rented apartment in the city of Karachi.

"The incident has happened in India and part of the conspiracy has been done in Pakistan and therefore (the charge) will be aiding terrorism," Malik said.

Of the eight people charged, six are in custody, including a person from Barcelona, Spain, who Malik said made payments for the attackers' cellphone communications.

Malik said Pakistan would ask for Interpol assistance because the e-mail addresses and calling technology that the plotters used to interact with one another were registered in various countries, such as the United States and Italy.

"It worries me that somebody sitting in Pakistan and India were able to exploit the system in Italy and Spain to their benefit," he said.

The Indian government has said the three-day siege in Mumbai in November was carried out by Lakshar-e-Tayyiba, a Pakistan-based outfit. Malik agreed that some of the suspects have been linked to the organization.

The series of coordinated attacks on hotels, hospitals and railway stations in the Mumbai killed more than 160 people, including many foreigners.

The accusations renewed tensions between South Asia's longtime rivals, who have fought three wars since independence and conducted tit-for-tat nuclear weapons tests in 1998.

Pakistani officials promised to cooperate with the investigation, but insisted that India show evidence supporting the claims.

Announcing the arrests Thursday, Malik said: "People of India, we are with you and we have proved that we are with you."

Malik said the final report into the inquiry is pending and asked Indian authorities to help answer 30 questions, including providing the DNA of the suspects, that will help strengthen Pakistan's criminal case.

"We have a joint responsibility. We want to investigate. We just need help. And when we say 'help,' I am just signifying that we need more evidence," he said.

Previously, the only senior Pakistani official to acknowledge a Pakistani link to the attack was fired.

National Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani was sacked on January 7 when he said that Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the only surviving suspect from the attacks, had ties to Pakistan.

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updated HD Cube at macrolevel orientation, around February 14

another one coming down with flight 522 crash on the triggers:
Plane crashes into house in New York state

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(CNN) -- A Continental Airlines plane crashed in suburban Buffalo, New York, late Thursday, killing 49 people. There were 44 passengers and four crew members killed on board and one on the ground, according to authorities.

Continental Connection Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air, was en route from Newark, New Jersey, when it went down, said Bill Peat with New York State Emergency Management in Albany.

The crash took place about seven miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Clarence Center, New York.

"At this time, the full resources of Colgan Air's accident response team are being mobilized and will be devoted to cooperating with all authorities responding to the accident and to contacting family members and providing assistance to them," a statement from the airline said.

The plane crashed about 10:20 p.m., hitting a home and bursting into a fireball, according to New York State Trooper John Manthey. Twelve residents were evacuated from the area.

Area resident Keith Burtis said he was driving to the store about a mile from the crash site when he heard the plane go down. "It was a high-pitched sound," Burtis said. "It felt like a mini-earthquake."

Shortly after the crash, Burtis said he saw a steady stream of fire trucks rush by him as smoke billowed into the sky.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the crew, the passengers and our residents on Long Street," said Clarence Supervisor Scott Blylewski. Are you on the scene? Let us know at iReport

"This is clearly a tragedy," said Dave Bissonette, the town's natural disaster services coordinator.

A command post has been set up at the scene by the Erie County Medical Examiners office and has investigators and doctors on the scene.

Continental Airlines confirmed that the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, a 74-seat turboprop, was operating between Newark Liberty International Airport and Buffalo.

The National Transportation Safety Board said early Friday that is was preparing a "go team" to head to Buffalo to investigate the crash.

There was a wintry mix at the time of the crash, officials said. Witnesses told CNN the house that was hit was flattened.

Officials said relatives of passengers aboard the flight should call 1-800-621-3263 for information.

At this time, officials said they are not concerned about a hazardous materials situation on the ground.

Rep. Chris Lee, R-New York, issued a statement: "We are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic accident that occurred tonight in Clarence. Our focus right now is on supporting the first responders on the ground and their efforts to ensure the health and safety of people in the area.

"I will do my best to provide helpful information as we learn more. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families at this difficult hour."

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updated February 11 - 14

Satellite collision threatens space assets

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Washington (AFP) Feb 12, 2009
A Russian and a US satellite crashed into each other in an unprecedented collision unleashing clouds of space debris that could threaten orbiting spacecraft, officials said Thursday.
A disused Russian military satellite, Kosmos 2251, collided on Tuesday at 1655 GMT with a communications satellite owned by US-based Iridium Satellite LLC, Russian and US space officials said.

The accident took place about 500 miles (800 kilometers) above Siberia, said Russia's Major General Alexander Yakushin, quoted by the Interfax news agency.

After more than five decades of human activity in space, the news raises fresh concern over the swarms of hazardous debris orbiting the Earth.

The magnitude of the two large debris clouds from the collision, the first hypervelocity impact between two intact spacecraft, will not be known for at least several weeks, NASA said.

"So far, NASA experts have determined that the risk to the Space Station is elevated. They estimate the risk to be very small and within acceptable limits," John Yembrick, a spokesman for the US space agency, told AFP.

"Although a small amount of debris will pass through the station's altitude, some over months, some over years, some over decades, we can track them and, in a worst case scenario, dodge the debris if necessary."

The International Space Station (ISS) orbits about 220 miles (354 kilometers) above the Earth, far below the point of collision.

But NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Earth observation satellites travel at higher orbits and could face a greater risk of damage.

"NASA's Earth-observing satellites orbit at an altitude of approximately 439 miles (707 kilometers), which is not far from the 491-mile (790-kilometer) altitude of the collision. They are of the highest concern as NASA learns more about the newly-created debris field," Yembrick said.

Although "all satellites operating in or passing through low-Earth orbit potentially are at risk of being impacted, including at least 20 NASA satellites, the risk is considered very low," he added.

Yembrick said the risk to NASA assets, "considered small," depends on the spacecraft's size and distance.

The Pentagon meanwhile acknowledged it had not anticipated the accident, citing "limits" on the ability to track thousands of man-made objects in space.

The debris from the defunct 1,984-pound (900-kilogram) Russian satellite launched in 1993, and its 1,235-pound (560-kilogram) US counterpart could be significant.

"We are looking at around more than 500 pieces of debris," said Navy Lieutenant Charlie Drey, a spokesman with US Strategic Command (STRATCOM), whose Joint Space Operations Center tracks and catalogs over 18,000 man-made objects orbiting the Earth.

"Anytime you have something like this happen, there is a concern about other objects that are in orbit. Now that you have all this debris there, it does pose a risk to satellites," he told AFP.

Analysts are plotting the coordinates of each of the debris pieces, which will later be posted on the website space-track.org.

In a statement, Iridium called the crash an "extremely unusual, very low-probability event," adding it has 66 communication satellites in orbit and rejecting any fault for the accident.

NASA spokesman William Jeffs said there was no danger to the scheduled launch of the space shuttle Discovery to the ISS due February 22.

Before the latest incident, there were over 300,000 orbital objects measuring between 0.4 and four inches (one and 10 centimeters) in diameter and "billions" of smaller pieces, according to a 2008 report by the Space Security Index, an international monitoring group.

Traveling at speeds that can reach many thousands of miles (kilometers) per hour, the tiniest debris orbiting can damage or destroy a spacecraft.

In June 1983, the windscreen of the US space shuttle Challenger had to be replaced after it was chipped by a fleck of paint measuring 0.01 of an inch (0.3 millimeters) that impacted at 2.5 miles (four kilometers) per second.

Some 6,000 satellites have been sent into space since the Soviet Union launched the first man-made orbiter, Sputnik 1, in 1957. About 800 satellites remain in operation, according to STRATCOM. NASA's World Book says there are about 3,000 "useful" satellites, without providing details.

updated february 11 -14

Pentagon fails to anticipate satellite collision

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Washington (AFP) Feb 12, 2009
The Pentagon acknowledged Thursday that it did not anticipate the accidental collision in space of a US commercial satellite with a Russian military satellite, the first major event of its kind.
"We did not predict this collision," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.

The Bethesda, Maryland-based Iridium Satellite LLC announced Wednesday it had lost an operational satellite after a collision Tuesday with a dead Russian satellite.

The US Joint Space Operations Center tracks about 18,000 objects in orbit, so many that it has to decide which to follow most closely, like the International Space Station or manned space flights.

"There are limits on your ability to track and compute every piece of orbiting man made object," said Whitman.

"It's an unfortunate incident that highlights the importance of cooperation and collaboration in space," he said.

Satellites that are "going dead" can be put in a place in space where there is no activity, or maneuvered into a safe descent back to Earth, he said.

But Whitman refrained from accusing the Russians of negligence, saying that some of the procedures for handling dying satellites were introduced long after the satellite's launch in 1993.

He said he had been told that Tuesday's collision was not the first of its kind, adding that "there have been three to four other events."

NASA spokesman John Yembrick said there have been "three other cases in which space objects orbiting at hypervelocity have collided accidentally."

However, the US space agency spokesman added that "these were all minor events involving spent rockets or small satellites with only a few pieces of resulting debris."

updated HD Cube

Flight 522: 'frozen'
New York state jet crash: Investigators examine role of icy weather

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US investigators are examing the role played by icy weather in the jet crash that killed 49 people in the upstate New York village of Clarence, near Buffalo Niagra airport.

Aviation experts said the aircraft did not report trouble before it sudden dropped from radar screen. Suspicions initially centred on ice on the wings causing a complete failure of the turbo-prop Q400 plane.

The Telegraph has obtained a tape of communications between air traffic control and the flight crew in which the plane suddenly stopped responded to the tower. There was no hint of stress or problems betrayed in the vice of the female first officer when the plane was cleared for landing two minutes before the crash.

The 31-minute recording features conversations between the cockpit, air traffic control and other aircraft in the vicinity, following the 74-seat commuter jet’s take-off from Newark Airport in New Jersey.

A voice in the cockpit of the plane, which was operated under a Continental Airlines flight number, is heard informing authorities that her aircraft was turning on approach to landing, and repeated instructions when told to maintain an altitude of 2300 feet.

The air traffic controllers then tried to contact the pilots of the jet for 12 minutes before apparently realising that the plane - Colgan 3407 - had gone down.

One of the suspected victims was Bevelery Eckhart, a widow and campaigner for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York.

The Bombardier made aircraft crashed just after 10 pm local time. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said Flight 3407 had 44 passengers and 4 crew members, adding that she had no information on their status.

Witnesses heard the twin turboprop aircraft sputtering before it went down in light snow and fog. Flames silhouetted the shattered home after Continental Connection Flight 3407 plummeted into it around about five miles (eight kilometers) from Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

“The whole sky was lit up orange,” said Bob Dworak, who lives less than a mile from the crash site. “All the sudden, there was a big bang, and the house shook.”

The aircraft was flying from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said there is “no indication of any security related event” that brought the plane down.

One aviation safety expert David Learmount said that there were no safety concerns with the model. Conditions of freezing drizzle, known as Rime Icing, were the most likely culprit for the crash.

“It was cold, snowing and dark but these planes are designed to fly in icy conditions,” David Learmount, of Flight International told the Guardian. “However, those conditions can be very fickle and if ice builds up on a plane it can be very difficult.

“At this time of year, when a pilot crashes approaching an airport that they will know well, the first thing you look at is the weather.”

One person died on the ground when the plane “landed on the house” in Clarence Center in a “direct hit,” David Bissonette, Clarence Emergency Control director, said at the news conference. The house was destroyed and several others were damaged. Earlier, CNN showed live images of smoke rising from the scene. Light snow was falling as the aircraft approached the airport, CNN said. Local officials were “collecting information,”

The operator, Colgan has a fleet of 15 Bombardier Dash 8s, along with 3 Hawker Beechcraft 1900D and 38 Saab 340B turboprops, according to the Ascend Online Fleets database. It has about 1,100 employees, according to Ascend.

Continental announced a flying agreement with Colgan in February 2007, saying it would use the commuter carrier to ferry passengers to and from Newark. Colgan’s planes can use smaller airports than those served by Continental’s jet fleet.

Scandinavian Airlines decided to permanently stop flying Bombardier Q400 turboprops after a string of crash landings blamed on landing gear malfunctions.

The company took the decision the day after an SAS turboprop made by the Canadian company crash-landed with 44 people on board in Denmark when part of its landing gear collapsed.

But experts said that the SAS decision was not a warning for the type of disaster that unfolded in New York. “We have a very new, very modern aircraft almost as good as turbo jet. These are challenging conditions for aircraft but they are fairly routine for that area,” said Kieran Daly, editor of Flight International.

updated february 11 - 14

Unseen dark comets 'could pose deadly threat to earth'

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The comets, of which there could be thousands, are not currently monitored by observatories and space agencies.

Most comets and asteroids are monitored in case they start to travel towards earth.

But Bill Napier, from Cardiff University, said that many could be going by unnoticed.

"There is a case to be made that dark, dormant comets are a significant but largely unseen hazard," he said

Scientists estimate that there should be around 3,000 comets in the solar system, but only 25 have so far been identified.

"Dark" comets happen when the water on their surface has evaporated, causing them to reflect less light.

Astronomers have previously spotted comets heading towards earth just days before they passed.

In 1983 a comet called IRAS-Araki-Alcock passed at a distance of just 5 million kilometres, the closest of any comet for 200 years, but it was noticed just a fortnight beforehand.

Tests on another comet, called Comet Borrelly, in 2001 revealed it to have large dark patches across much of its surface.

Steve Larson of the University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, which monitors comets, said the idea of an unknown number of "dark" comets circling earth had "merit".

But Clark Chapman from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, said that such comets "would absorb sunlight very well" and so could be detected by the heat they emit, reports New Scientist magazine.