Jul 7, 2008 8:53 am US/Eastern
5 Reported Dead In Crash Of Miami-Bound Cargo Jet
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (CBS4) ―
A Miami-bound cargo jet crashed early Monday shortly after takeoff from Bogota airport in Colombia, killing 2 people on the ground. Colombian TV network RCN is reporting 3 members of the US based crew of 8 died in the crash.
The plane was chartered by Miami-based Centurion Air Cargo, which operates a large cargo operation at Miami International Airport. Kalitta Air, based in Ypsilanti, Michigan, operated the plane.
Brian Andrews, a former CBS4 reporter now working for RCN, reports the plane left Bogota about 4 a.m., and apparently developed problems near the town of Mosquera, about an hour and a half from the Colombian capital.
Colombian website
eltiempo.com is reporting the plane hit a farmhouse in the small town of Casablanca, spreading debris over a wide area an apparently killing a farmer and his son who were asleep when the plane crashed..
The plane is believed to have been carrying a crew of 8, including 7 Americans. The surviving crew members have been taken to the Santa Matilda de Madrid hospital in Madrid, the nearest large city.
Centrurion Air Cargo operates a 600 thousand square foot cargo center at Miami International Airport, and earlier this year announced expansion plans.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
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