A private jet carrying eight individuals crashed during takeoff at Bangor International Airport in Maine on Sunday night, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The incident, involving a Bombardier Challenger 600, occurred around 7:45 p.m. The current status of those onboard remains unknown, and both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched an investigation into the crash.

This unfortunate event took place as a significant winter storm was impacting New England and other regions across the United States, with Bangor experiencing continuous snowfall on Sunday.

Following the crash, the airport released a statement confirming that emergency personnel were at the scene. The airport was subsequently closed due to what was described by officials as an incident involving a single departing aircraft.

Bangor International Airport, located approximately 200 miles north of Boston, provides direct flights to several major cities, including Orlando, Florida; Washington, D.C.; and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Throughout the weekend, the vast storm dumped sleet, freezing rain and snow across much of the eastern half of the U.S., halting much air and road traffic and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the Southeast.

Commercial air traffic was also heavily disrupted around much of the U.S.

Some 12,000 flights were canceled Sunday and nearly 20,000 were delayed, according to the flight tracker flightaware.com. Airports in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York and New Jersey were among those impacted.

The Bombardier Challenger 600 is a wide-bodied business jet configured for nine to 11 passengers. It was launched in 1980 as the first private jet with a “walk-about cabin” and remains a popular charter option, according to aircharterservice.com