A short time later, a Medevac helicopter flying over the scene can be heard saying: “The aircraft is upside down and burning.”
Investigators have so far said that there were “no crosswinds” and the surface was “dry” at the time of the crash with the investigation ongoing.
But one passenger described seeing strong winds and a “weird condition” on the runway.
John Nelson also recalled the moment of impact, saying the plane hit the ground hard, skidded sideways, and flipped onto its back.
He told CNN: “There was a big fireball on the left side of the plane. We tried to get off as quickly as possible.
“There was another explosion, but luckily, the firefighters got out of there in time.”
He added: “I did notice the winds were super gusty. The snow had kinda blown over the runways.
“So coming in was routine but it was noticeable that the runways were in kind of a weird condition.”
Former National Transportation Safety Board managing director Peter Goelz also told CNN he believes a sudden gust of wind may have hit the aircraft just as it landed, tipping it over and ripping part of the wing, which likely caused the fire.
Fire crews were on the scene within minutes, extinguishing the flames and helping passengers to safety.
Officials are now investigating the cause of the crash, with experts analyzing weather conditions and aircraft data.
