The uncertainty surrounding who exactly was on board a private jet that erupted into a fiery crash in Maine — killing all six people aboard — intensified Tuesday as investigators worked to identify the victims and National Transportation Safety Board officials reached the site.
The Bombardier Challenger 600, which had departed from Houston and made a refueling stop before a planned flight to Paris, overturned and burst into flames while attempting takeoff from Bangor International Airport around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, just as a powerful winter storm began slamming the region.
Maine’s medical examiner said Tuesday that efforts were still underway to confirm the identities of those killed, while authorities have declined to release a full list of passengers.
One of the victims was confirmed as Tara Arnold, who died when the jet — registered to her husband Kurt Arnold’s prominent personal-injury firm, Arnold & Itkin Law — crashed Sunday evening. Friends described her as a “remarkable person,” according to WMTW.
Arnold, a 46-year-old attorney and mother of two from Texas, worked at the same law firm and was reportedly traveling to France with friends. Records show the aircraft was owned by her husband’s firm.
To date, only three of the victims have been publicly identified by family and friends: Arnold, an event planner, and the pilot.
NTSB investigators arrived early Tuesday as scrutiny grew over whether severe winter conditions, including snow and freezing temperatures, contributed to the crash. Aviation experts have suggested that ice buildup on the wings may have prevented the aircraft from properly lifting off — a factor expected to be closely examined.
The FAA confirmed that four passengers and two crew members were aboard the aircraft at the time of the crash.
The jet went down on a snow-covered runway as Winter Storm Fern battered Maine and much of the East Coast. Authorities said the aircraft overturned and caught fire shortly after departure.
Neither Kurt Arnold nor his law partner were on the plane, according to ABC13.
Another victim was identified as Shawna Collins, a 53-year-old event planner who had worked with the law firm. Collins, who was married with children and grandchildren, had been organizing her daughter’s upcoming wedding, a representative from her church said.
The flight’s captain, Jacob Hosmer, a 47-year-old pilot from the Houston area, was also killed, his father confirmed. Hosmer had begun flying for the firm in May.
Church representative Donald Iloff Jr. described Collins as someone widely admired for her work and personality. “Everyone wanted her to plan their events,” he said. “She was loved by everyone.”
The law firm has declined to comment on the crash or identify the remaining passengers.
So far, the FAA has stated only that the aircraft “crashed under unknown circumstances during departure, came to rest upside down, and ignited.”