BANGOR, Maine – A private business plane crashed during takeoff at Bangor International Airport on Sunday evening, killing all six people onboard. Officials say it is among the most deadly aviation accidents in Maine in recent years.
The aircraft, a Bombardier Challenger 600, flipped upside down and caught fire soon after leaving the runway around 7:45 p.m. The crash happened as a nor’easter began pushing snow across parts of the state.
The incident rattled the Bangor area, where the airport handles both commercial flights and private aircraft. Police, airport staff, and emergency teams secured the scene as investigators began gathering early information.
Bangor Fire Department crews, the Maine National Guard, and responders from nearby towns arrived within minutes. They fought the fire while snow and wind picked up. Witnesses described a dull orange flash, followed by a loud boom in the stormy night.
Local officials confirm six onboard plane
Bangor police and airport director Jose Saavedra said the flight manifest showed six people were on the twin-engine jet. No one was taken to the hospital, and all six are believed to have died at the scene.
Early FAA information confused stating there were eight people onboard, with seven deaths and one serious injury. Bangor officials pushed back Monday, saying the manifest listed six total passengers and crew, all fatally injured. The FAA noted that early details can change as investigators confirm facts.
Officials said the plane was a 2020 Bombardier Challenger 600 registered to KTKJ Challenger LLC in Houston, Texas. It reportedly arrived earlier from Houston. Sources familiar with the situation connected the jet to Arnold & Itkin, a Houston-based personal injury law firm.
Authorities have not released the victims’ names as they wait for identification and family notifications. One report named Tara Arnold as a victim, with a county official calling her “a phenomenal person, a bold leader.”
Winter weather and visibility issues at the time of the plane crash
The crash took place as heavy winter weather spread across the Northeast. National Weather Service data showed light but steady snow at the airport around the time of the incident. Temperatures were near 2 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind chills around minus 13.
Visibility dropped to about three-quarters of a mile in freezing fog. Bangor was under a winter storm warning. Snow buildup at the airport was still developing, but totals reached close to 10 inches by the next day.
Flights continued around the time of the crash, with de-icing operations underway. Other aircraft landed and took off safely before and after the incident. Saavedra said crews were already on site responding to the storm, and runways stayed open during active snow response.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating. The NTSB is expected to review weather conditions, aircraft performance, pilot actions, maintenance records, and the possibility of icing.
Aviation safety experts have pointed to the Challenger 600’s history of wing icing concerns during takeoff. Former NTSB investigator Jeff Guzzetti told media outlets that even small ice buildup can reduce lift and increase risk. Bombardier and regulators have issued guidance on de-icing practices, though it is not yet clear what steps were taken before this flight.
Air traffic control recordings captured the alarm in the moments after the plane went down, including a call reporting the aircraft was upside down. Responders reached the site in under a minute, but the fire made rescue and recovery difficult.
One of Maine’s deadliest aviation accidents in decades
The crash now joins a short list of Maine’s most tragic aviation events. Historic examples include two fatal accidents on July 11, 1944, one involving a B-17 bomber near Rangeley that killed 10 people, along with another deadly crash elsewhere in the state the same day.
More recent incidents have involved fewer victims, though Bangor International Airport saw another fatal crash just months earlier that killed one person.
Bangor International Airport remained closed through at least midday Wednesday as NTSB teams worked the scene and cleanup continued. The agency cited weather-related travel delays for investigators, but said the review will be thorough.
A preliminary NTSB update could come in the next few weeks. A final report often takes months.
The losses have hit hard in Bangor and beyond. Local leaders praised the fast work of first responders and asked the public to keep the victims’ families in mind as the investigation moves forward.
