A private jet crashed while taking off from Bangor International Airport in Maine late Sunday night, according to a press release from the airport. A preliminary FAA report says that the jet “crashed under unknown circumstances on departure, came to rest inverted and caught on fire.” That report said that seven occupants died in the crash, with a single flight crew member in serious condition, but a Monday afternoon press release by the airport said the flight manifest listed six people on board. We will update this post when the situation is further clarified by officials.
A winter storm warning was in effect at the time of the crash, according to the National Weather Service. A LiveATC.net recording of Bangor’s ATIS at the time of the crash reported light snow and one-eighth inch of dry snow on the runway. That’s nothing unusual for Maine during the winter. The airport would have shut down if visibility and runway conditions deteriorated to unsafe levels. Deicing operations were taking place, according to CNN, as ice build-up can cause a lack of control. Weather is one of many factors the NTSB will be investigating, and it is far from the only potential cause of the crash.
A small private jet
The aircraft involved is a Bombardier Challenger 600, the same type of plane that crashed on Interstate-75 in Naples, Florida, nearly two years ago. This one was built in 2020, according to FAA records. Seating configurations vary to accommodate 11 to 16 passengers plus two flight crew, according to GlobalAir. The aircraft had just flown into Bangor from Houston, Texas, according to data from ADS-B Exchange. The crash occurred less than two hours later as it was taking off on runway 33.
This particular aircraft is registered to KTKJ Challenger, LLC, a company that shares the same Houston address as the Arnold and Itkin law firm. A photo of the aircraft on FlightAware shows what appears to be the law firm’s logo on the tail. Authorities have not released the identities of the people on board at the time of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is already on the scene and investigating the crash. The airport will remain closed until at least Wednesday, according to WMTW, while the investigation continues and the wreckage is moved off the airport’s single runway.
