At least three victims in Sunday’s deadly plane crash at Bangor International Airport have been tentatively identified by family and friends.
Shawna Collins, an event planner, was among the six people believed to be on the plane, her daughter told ABC13 in Texas.
Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones told the TV station that Tara Arnold, an attorney and wife of Kurt Arnold, co-founder of the Texas law firm Arnold & Itkin, was on the plane. Briones is a family friend. Neither Kurt Arnold nor the firm’s other founder, Jason Itkin, was aboard the plane, ABC13 reported.
Gary Hosmer confirmed to KPRC2 in Houston that his son, Jacob, was the pilot
“He’s in Heaven now with Jesus,” he told the TV station.
Details are still scant, but we know that the fixed-wing, multi-engine Bombardier Challenger 600 crashed about 7:45 p.m. shortly after takeoff, ended up upside down and then caught on fire.
The plane was headed for France as part of a business trip, according to ABC13.
An airport spokesperson disputed an earlier count from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration that listed seven dead from the crash and one survivor. All aboard are presumed dead.
The plane was registered to Houston-based KTKJ Challenger LLC, which is associated with the personal injury law firm Arnold & Itkin. But few other details were immediately known about those on board.
Sunday’s fatal crash comes just months after the August crash of a single-engine Cessna A185F that left 74-year-old Italian aviator Luigi Accusani dead, making it the second fatal civilian aviation disaster in Bangor and the third ever in the Queen City. A Sept. 17, 1944, military plane crash left its two-man crew dead in Bangor.
Investigators with the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board were expected to arrive in the Queen City late Monday.