<div><p>A commuter jet has crashed into a house in New York state unleashing a fireball and killing all 48 passengers and crew and one person on the ground, officials said.</p><p>A series of explosions rocked the district and flames taller than nearby houses lit up the night sky and were still burning hours later.</p><p>Firefighters from a nearby firestation were quickly at the scene, but despite what one local official called "heroic" efforts, were unable to get to the passengers and crew trapped in the inferno.</p><p>The Continental Airlines Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 jet came down about five minutes before it was due to land in the city of Buffalo after a flight from Newark, New Jersey.</p><p>New York state governor David Paterson said "44 passengers were killed along with four crew members and at least one person on the ground."</p><p> An Erie County official said Continental Airlines flight 3407 crashed at 10:20 pm (0320 GMT) in Clarence Center, New York just a few miles from the runway.</p><p>Air traffic controllers desperately tried to make contact with the pilot as the plane, operated by Colgan Air for Continental, approached Buffalo.</p><p>One controller asks another plane to look for it, according to a conversation aired by local television station WGRZ. He then asks someone to contact police on the ground.</p><p>"This aircraft was five miles out and now all of the sudden we have no response from this aircraft," he said.</p><p>A plane in the vicinity tells him, "we do have a Dash 8 that was over the mark that did not make the airport."</p><p>The Buffalo News newspaper reported 12 homes were evacuated due to the risk from the burning jet fuel. It was unclear home many homes were damaged.</p><p> Erie County Executive Chris Collins told CNN television the plane was carrying 5,800 pounds of jet fuel and turned into a fireball on impact.</p><p>"The tail of the plane is sticking out of the ground," he said. "Obviously, it exploded upon impact. So there was a lot of fire initially.</p><p>"It landed -- or it came down right next to the fire hall. So there were firemen on this scene within literally seconds of it going down.</p><p>"I can't say enough about what the firefighters did, rushing right in as you might expect they would -- a very heroic effort. But there were no survivors.</p><p>One witness, who gave his name only as Tony, told a local television station that the plane flew right over his car, "nose down."</p><p>"Left wing was slightly down, pitched sideways, if you will," he said. "It was on a direct line down."</p><p>David Luce, who lives near the crash scene, told the Buffalo News he heard a huge explosion and saw flames up to 50 feet (18 metres) in the air.</p><p>"It sounded quite loud, and then the sound stopped," Luce said. "Then one or two seconds later, there was a thunderous explosion. I thought something hit our house. It shook our whole house."</p><p>"There was the initial boom, and then these cannon shots ... these loud secondary explosions, and they went on for about 10 minutes."</p><p>After a few minutes, Luce said he walked out to take a look at the wreckage and saw the house was destroyed.</p><p>"The house was already flattened. There was no house, just a pile of rubble and still burning," he said.</p><p>There was snow and sleet in the area at the time of the crash, which is not unusual for the area this time of year.</p><p>Continental Airlines pledged its full support to Colgan Air, "so that together we can provide as much support as possible for all concerned."</p><p>"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the family members and loved ones of those involved in the flight 3407 tragedy," the airline's chief executive, Larry Kellner, said in a statement.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=42608586&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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