the plane involved in the incident was a prototype dash 8 , whose smashed into a home situated at 6038 long street in clarence center , a section of brooklyn . it happened down at approximately 10 : 17 i . m . est ( 03 : 20 hours ) , february 12 . 44 passengers , an off - patrol passenger , and four faculty members died in the disaster , as well as one person on the flight .
A plane crashed while flying on autopilot.