Six Killed as Challenger Jet Flips, Burns on Takeoff at Bangor Airport Amid Winter Storm
A Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet bound for France crashed and erupted in flames during takeoff from Bangor International Airport in Maine around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, killing all six people on board as Winter Storm Fern battered the region. The FAA says the jet flipped upside down and caught fire under 'unknown circumstances' just after departure, and controllers reported seeing the aircraft inverted on the runway as emergency crews rushed in. The plane is registered to a partner in Houston-based personal injury firm Arnold & Itkin; local reports, citing family and colleagues, identify passengers as including attorney Tara Arnold, 46, wife of founding partner Kurt Arnold, veteran pilot Jacob Hosmer, 47, and event planner Shawna Collins, though authorities have not yet released official names. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation, and Bangor’s airport canceled or diverted flights and closed Monday in the crash’s aftermath. The accident adds to public concern about business-jet safety and winter-weather operations as severe storms disrupt air travel across the country.
📌 Key Facts
- Six people were killed when a Challenger 650 business jet crashed and burned during takeoff from Bangor International Airport, Maine, around 7:45 p.m. Sunday.
- The FAA says the jet flipped upside down on departure in winter storm conditions; cause is listed as 'unknown circumstances' and the NTSB is investigating.
- Local reports identify victims, via families and employer, as including attorney Tara Arnold of Arnold & Itkin, pilot Jacob Hosmer, and event planner Shawna Collins, though law-enforcement has not yet confirmed identities.
- The jet was reportedly departing for France, the airport closed and diverted flights afterward, and the crash occurred amid Winter Storm Fern’s broader disruption of U.S. aviation.
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