Western New York Still Recovering from Flight 3407 Disaster

By Peter Iglinski

Clarence Center, NY – People in Western New York are remembering the tragedy of Flight 3407. It was one year ago this week that the twin-engine turboprop went down in Clarence Center outside Buffalo, killing 50 people.

WXXI's Peter Iglinski takes a look at how the community is faring one year later.
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Scott Bylewski has vivid memories of February 12, 2009. Bylewski not only lives near the crash site in Clarence Center, he's the town supervisor.

"But my wife and I, we both heard it. And I got up and started looking around. I went to the bedroom...we were both unwinding for the evening...I went there and I said, "Did you hear anything, did you do anything?" And we started lookin around. And I ended up going outside, and I could see a pinkish, orangish, reddish tinge to the horizon."

Like most people who talk about Clarence, Bylewski uses the word close-knit. And the point was driven home with the plane crash.

"You knew someone who was involved with Flight 3407 on an intimate and personal basis...It really hit home the more you started talking with other people, how widespread that inter-relationship was."

Bylewski says every day there's some reminder of the disaster.

"Walking into my own office doors is a reminder. Dave Bisonette was wearing a high visibility yellow disaster coat. And he kind of became known for it. And we ended up framing that outside of the office. The Erie County historian also lives in Clarence--Doug Kohler. And he put together a short piece indicating what that coat symbolizes. And it basically symbolizes the hope that we have."

Dave Bisonnette is the town's disaster coordinator. His jacket is framed on a wall at the town hall along with a variety of proclamations and other items relating to the tragedy.

Emily Dobies has a good overview of the aftermath of the crash. She works as a barista at the local coffee shop, the Clarence Center Coffee Company. Dobies says the crash comes up constantly at her job.

"Definitely, I mean, working at the coffee shop here, tons of people come in. They're like, "Oh, where did it happen?" And, you know, you have to point it out. And..."Oh, were you here?" And, you know, tons of people asking about it and tons of people want to know....so you can't help but think about it. It's a looming presence."

Not only does Dobies work two blocks from the crash site, she lives on Long Street, two houses away. She had been thinking of moving to Clarence Center from nearby Buffalo, and finally did so three months after the crash.

"You know they did so many things before this happened. They always had like block parties and, you know, they do a little like ball-drop on New Year's. And these were things we didn't know before we moved there, but, having lived there, it's...a special street. And, so, it's just sad that something like this could rip it apart. But, you know, they're still doing their thing."

Dobies hopes the one-year anniversary signals that people are moving on with their lives. But she acknowledges that largely depends on where people were at the time of the crash. She knows of a couple of people on Long Street who moved away after developing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Karen Wielinski still cannot comprehend the events of that day. The crash not only occurred on her street, it happened at her house. Wielinski and her daughter Jill somehow managed to get out of the house--her husband, Doug, did not. And Karen Wielinski constantly relives that night.

"Everyday I think of it in some form or the other. That I'd like to get over someday, hopefully. I'm certainly always gonna, you know, think of Doug and miss Doug and everything, you know, that he was for our family. But I hope I don't have to keep thinking about that night everyday, but I do."

The site of the crash is now a field. Discussions about the future of the site are continuing, but Wielinski has settled on a number of details; it will be a memorial park that is small, private, and unobtrusive.

"We're not going to have big monuments there. We're not gonna to have a house there. It's gonna be subtle and fit in with the neighborhood. And...there will be another, more public memorial somewhere in the area."

It's understandable why Wielinski wants to preserve the character of the street, given the curiosity-seekers and others who periodically visit the site. One evening, a group of bagpipers paid their respects.

This Friday marks one year since Flight 3407 went down. Reporter Chris Caya of WNED in Buffalo says it's an important date, but he hasn't been giving it a lot of thought, acknowledging a reluctance "to go there again."

"But I think it's going to bring up a lot of hurt. Not hurt as in just the grief people felt about that. Because it really did at the time, I mean, obviously impact the entire community...Yes, it happened in Clarence, which is, you know, ten, 15 miles from here, but it really did hit the entire community."

The last week has been a difficult one for the families of the victims. Not only is the anniversary approaching, but, last week, the National Transportation Safety Board presented its report on the tragedy. Karen Eckert lost her sister, Beverly, in the crash.

"Draining, sad, knowing that it was preventable. It was a very tough day. Coming to the memorial and to the anniversary, we're thinking more of honoring our loved ones and honoring their memory and making sure that no other family ever has to go through...[what] we've gone through."

This Friday, the victims of Flight 3407 will be remembered in a ten-mile memorial walk from Clarence Center to the airport. Eckert says the intention is to finish the journey their loved ones were unable to make.

"They were only five miles from that airport, totally unsuspecting, looking forward to coming home or a nice weekend with family in Buffalo--the majority of them-- and they just didn't make it."

The memorial walk begins on Long Street at 9:30 Friday morning. One person not taking part will be Karen Wielinski. She says the walk doesn't apply to her. Her husband was in the house at the time, not on the plane, so there's no journey to complete. Wielinski wasn't sure what she'll be doing on the anniversary.

"I can understand why the other family members want to walk next week, but it doesn't apply to us. Doug was home, so...I can't commit to that. I certainly, you know, support their effort."

However the day is spent, people in Western New York and beyond will recall the night of February 12, 2009. Clarence Town Supervisor Scott Bylewski hopes that loved ones are remembered and that the healing process is further along.

"The best thing that can come up and out of any sort of event like this is that the healing can go on. It's never going to be perfect; it's never going to be the same. But if you can move forward, put one foot in front of each other and, hopefully moving in a positive direction, then you're making progress."

Bylewski admits to being changed by the tragedy. He likely speaks for most others in saying he appreciates his family that much more, and he understands the need to live and love to the fullest.