From the New York Post: The mystery over exactly who was aboard a doomed private jet that crashed into a fireball in Maine, killing all six occupants, deepened Tuesday as officials worked to identify the remains and NTSB probers arrived on the scene.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 — which took off in Houston and had stopped to refuel before it was supposed to continue to Paris — flipped over and burst into flames during take-off from Bangor International Airport around 7:45 p.m. Sunday — just as the nation’s massive winter storm was beginning to pound the region.
The state’s medical examiner’s office Tuesday said it was still scrambling to confirm the identities of those who perished in the wreck, while local authorities have been tight-lipped on who was on the plane at the time.
So far, only the attorney wife of an elite Texas law firm partner, an event planner and the pilot have been identified by friends and family as victims.
Four passengers and two crew members were aboard the flight.
Tara Arnold, 46, a “powerhouse lawyer” and mom from Texas, perished in the crash. She was reportedly en route to France with her friends. Arnold’s husband, Kurt Arnold, was not aboard the flight. The couple have two young children together.
Jacob Hosmer, a 47-year-old Houston-area pilot, also died in the crash.
A third victim has now been identified as Shawna Collins, a 53-year-old event planner who counted the law firm among her clients. Collins, who was married with children and grandchildren, had been planning her daughter’s wedding for later this year, the New York Post reported.
The identities of the other 3 victims are still unknown.
Experts are speculating that the weather, along with potential ice on the wings, may have caused the deadly crash. Thousands of commercial flights were cancelled over the weekend, due to the snowy weather and freezing temperatures.
TRAGEDY IN MAINE: Six people killed when business jet flipped upside down and caught fire during takeoff from Bangor airport Sunday night amid Winter Storm Fern. Among the victims: Tara Arnold, wife of prominent Houston personal injury attorney Kurt Arnold.…
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 27, 2026
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