Billionaire Lewis Katz and six others die as his private jet crashes and catches fire on the runway - just days after he won bitter battle for control of Philadelphia Inquirer

Officials have confirmed all seven passengers, including three crew members, on board the private plane to Atlantic City have died

Lewis Katz, 72-year-old co-owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, was killed

Anne Leeds, wife of Longport, NJ commissioner Jim Leeds, and Marcella Dalsey, executive director of Drew A. Katz foundation, also on board



Susan Asbell of Cherry Hill, New Jersey was another passenger



The remaining passengers have not yet been identified



The small aircraft erupted in flames on take off from Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts



Witness Jeff Patterson says he saw a fireball 60-feet high



Residents as far as Boston could smell 'burning rubber'



Four days after winning control of the Philadelphia Inquirer following a bitter legal battle, owner Lewis Katz, 72, died in a fiery plane crash on Saturday morning.

The newspaper confirmed Katz's death on Sunday morning after the Gulfstream IV private jet he was traveling aboard burst into flames taking off from Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts, bound for Atlantic City.

All seven passengers died, including Marcella Dalsey, the executive director of his son Drew's foundation and Susan Asbell of Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

Authorities have yet to announce the identities of the other passengers who perished.

Nearby residents recounted seeing a fireball and feeling the blast of the explosion shake their homes.

Authorities have not speculated on what caused the crash. They have said the National Transportation Safety Board will soon launch an investigation

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A private plane ran off a runway and burst into flames with seven people on-board at Hanscom Field Saturday night Lewis Katz, co-owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, was confirmed to be one of the seven on board the flight. All of the passengers perished



The plane was headed to Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey when it apparently went off the runway and crashed at 9:40pm then caught fire, authorities said.



WHAT NOW FOR THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER?

On Tuesday, Lewis Katz and H.F. 'Gerry' Lenfest bought out their business partners for $88 million and gained control of the media company that owns the Inquirer.

His tragic death 'won't derail the sale of the Inquirer, Daily News & Philly.com' the newspaper said on its Twitter feed.

Lenfest told the newspaper he has owned for less than a week, 'It is a severe loss, but I am pleased to announce that Drew Katz, Lewis's son, will replace his father on board of our new company.'

However, Lenfest did admit that there would be a delay in the finalizing of the deal, but that it was expected to close after June 12.

The new owner said that the newspaper would be hard pressed to replace Katz's expertise and creativity, but that 'the paper will continue because we both intended to put a new CEO in charge of the day-to-day operations'.

Katz made his money investing in the Kinney Parking empire and once owned the NBA's New Jersey Nets and the NHL's New Jersey Devils and donated money to Temple University.

The battle over the Philadelphia Inquirer was sparked in part by the decision to fire the paper's Pulitzer Prize-winning editor.

Katz and Lenfest tried to get a court to block the firing and the dispute culminated in the pair ousting their former partners.

Jeff Patterson told The Boston Globe he saw a fireball about 60 feet in the air.



'I heard a big boom, and I thought at the time that someone was trying to break into my house because it shook it,' said Patterson's son, 14-year-old Jared Patterson.



'I thought someone was like banging on the door trying to get in.'



The air field has been closed for further investigation.

Boston.com reports that residents who lived as far as Boston could smell burning rubber and many took to Twitter to describe the incident.



'Can actually see particles in air in Cambridge, Porter Square allegedly from Hanscom crash,' tweeted Aubry Bracco.

Katz, 72, and business partner H.F. 'Gerry' Lenfest only recently became the controlling owners of the Inquirer, The Daily News and Philly.com after buying out the other partners for $88million in a Tuesday private auction.



'We all deeply mourn the loss of my true friend and fellow investor in ownership of The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Daily News and Philly.com,' Lenfest said. 'It is a severe loss, but I am pleased to announce that Drew Katz, Lewis's son, will replace his father on the board of our new company.'

Drew Katz issued a statement of his own as well, praising his father.



'My father was my best friend. He taught me everything. He never forgot where and how he grew up, and he worked tirelessly to support his community in countless ways that were seen and unseen,' Drew Katz said in a statement. 'He loved his native city of Camden and his adopted home of Philadelphia. He believed in strengthening education through his founding of charter schools, his support of the Boys & Girls Clubs and his generosity to his alma maters, Temple University and Dickinson Law School. But his greatest accomplishment by far was being the most amazing father to my sister and me, and grandparent to his four grandchildren.'

Anne Leeds, wife of Longport, New Jersey commissioner James Leeds, was also on the plane. She was reportedly a neighbor of Katz's.



Mr Leeds told the Press of Atlantic City that his wife was invited last minute to attend a fundraiser with Katz in Concord, Saturday afternoon.



The Boston Globe reports that Katz attended an event at the home of historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and her husband Richard Goodwin.

Mystery: Authorities haven't announced what caused the plane to burst into flames taking off

The private plane was en route to Atlantic City, New Jersey

Mr Leeds says that event was in support of an education program the Goodwin's son Michael created for Concord Carlisle schools - a matter of interest to Mrs Leeds, a retired Pennsylvania school teacher.

Marcella Dalsey, the executive director of the Drew A Katz Foundation, also died in the crash.

Ms Dalsey, a South New Jersey native, was also the president of KATZ Academy Charter School which she co-founded with Katz in 2012.



Susan Asbell of Cherry Hill, New Jersey - the wife of former Camden County Prosecutor Sam Asbell – was another victim, NBC10 Philadelphia reports.

Marcella Dalsey (left), executive director of the Drew A Katz foundation, and Anne Leeds (right), wife of Longport, New Jersey commissioner James Leeds, were two of the victims



Susan Asbell of Cherry Hill, New Jersey was the third victim named. Pictured above with husband Sam Asbell, former Camden County prosecutor

New owner: Katz and business partner Gerry Lenfest bought out competing partners for controlling ownership of the Inquirer on Tuesday. He is seen smiling before entering the private auction

Before the auction, Katz and Lenfest owned 42.55 per cent of the team. They bought out a competing group led by George E Norcross III, who previously held a 57.45 per cent stake.



The buyout promised to bring more stability to the media company, which had undergone six ownership changes in eight years.



'We know more than anybody how difficult this business is,' Katz told employees Tuesday afternoon at the company's headquarters. 'We're going to give it our best. We're going to try to bring in the best. And, hopefully, we'll have a wonderful result.'

Katz grew up in Camden, New Jersey and attended Temple University. He made his fortune with businesses Kinney Parking and Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network.



Before taking on the Inquirer, Katz owned sports teams the New Jersey Nets (before the team relocated to Brooklyn) and New Jersey Devils.



Tragedy: Emergency workers are still working on the scene but have confirmed all seven passengers were killed in the blast