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A luxury jet en route to Paris met a tragic fate, crashing after refueling as a formidable snowstorm loomed, bringing near-freezing temperatures.
BANGOR, Maine — The investigation into a devastating private jet crash at Bangor International Airport, which resulted in six fatalities, has faced setbacks due to severe weather conditions. According to the airport’s director, the site is buried under heavy snow, obscuring the remains of the burned aircraft.
Efforts to uncover the cause of the crash involve the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, who have teamed up with state and local authorities. They have successfully retrieved the cockpit’s voice and data recorders for further examination. Meanwhile, the state medical examiner’s office is working to recover and identify the victims’ bodies. The airport, according to director Jose Saavedra, is expected to stay closed until at least 9 a.m. on Thursday.
Before the crash, the jet had paused for refueling amid a light snowfall, mild wind conditions, and temperatures hovering around zero, just as a large storm began to sweep into Bangor, Maine, late Sunday night. An earlier flight had already aborted its takeoff, informing the control tower that visibility was poor and additional deicing was necessary.
The storm ultimately resulted in a snow accumulation of approximately 9.5 inches, although at the time of the crash, the snowfall was only starting.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 had gone through a standard deicing process before proceeding to the runway, Saavedra said. The airport hasn’t answered questions about exactly what time the plane was treated and how long the treatment was expected to be good for. If the calculated holdover time on a de-icing treatment expires, a pilot is expected to go back for another treatment.
Among the victims were an event planner and a corporate pilot.
Lakewood Church in Houston, run by Joel Osteen Ministries, confirmed on Tuesday that its longtime employee Shawna Collins, 53, was among those killed. She also worked for a luxury travel business led by attorney Tara Arnold, whose husband Kurt Arnold co-founded the Texas law firm linked to the plane. The family of pilot Jacob Hosmer, 47, confirmed his death but declined to comment.
Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska and Dale reported from Philadelphia.
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