Private jet crashes in Bedford

Two pilots taken to UPMC Bedford with minor injuries

BEDFORD -- A private jet operated by two pilots crashed in an empty field shortly after takeoff Wednesday morning from the Bedford County Airport.

The pilots suffered only minor injuries and were taken to UPMC Bedford for standard evaluation, according to Bedford Fire Chief Gary Cooper.

According to flight records and a preliminary FAA report, the pilots were operating a 525 Cessna Citation CJ1 aircraft with a tail number of N600AL.

The Citation, described as a light jet, crashed shortly after 10 a.m. while leaving the airport on its way to the Martin State Airport in Middle River, Maryland.

In Cooper's 34 years of service as the Bedford Fire Department No. 1 fire chief, he said Wednesday's aircraft crash was a first for his career.

"Thankfully, we do not respond to these calls often," he said.

Bedford firefighters were the first on scene and found the jet fully engulfed in flames near the T-intersection of Airport Road and Belden Road.

Upon Cooper's arrival at 10:24 a.m., the pilot and the co-pilot had already removed themselves from the aircraft.

Firefighters used plain water instead of foam to extinguish the fire, Cooper said, noting that Everett and Alum Bank fire companies were called to assist with fire suppression and overhaul.

The Cessna Citation CJ1 aircraft is a family of twin-engine business jets built by Textron Aviation with a capacity of eight passengers, including two pilots. The FAA registry lists it as a fixed wing multi-engine mid-sized aircraft.

"The aircraft I would say is a complete loss," Cooper said. "There's not much left."

According to online listings, the jet costs between $1.3 and $1.5 million. It appeared to land in the field on its belly, leaving the nose, tail and wings mostly intact.

The same aircraft made multiple trips over the past two weeks, according to flight records. It traveled on Sept. 25 from the Bedford County Airport to the Chautauqua County Airport in Jamestown, New York, to the Martin State Airport in Middle River, Maryland, before returning to the Bedford County Airport that same day.

The jet was scheduled to travel from the Bedford County Airport to the Martin State Airport, then travel to the Greenbrier Valley Airport in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, before returning to Bedford on Wednesday afternoon.

FAA and the Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash. Belden Road was closed by state troopers Wednesday afternoon until investigators arrived on scene.

According to the FAA registry, Shobers Equipment LLC is registered as the aircraft's owner. Shobers Equipment is owned by James and Jennifer DeLong, who also own Bun Air Corp., the fixed-base operator at the Bedford County Airport.

A message left for the DeLongs at Bun Air was not returned Wednesday evening.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.