Federal investigators are starting to arrive in Bangor as an investigation into a fatal plane crash enters its second day.
Six people are presumed dead after a business jet flipped over and caught fire as it was taking off around 7:45 p.m. Sunday at the Bangor International Airport, according to Bangor police.
The federal investigation begins after the day of the crash’s aftermath was marred by confusion over the number of victims and their conditions. A preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration initially identified seven fatalities and one survivor; the Bangor Police Department refuted those claims in a later statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board is “in the process of arriving,” a spokesperson said Tuesday morning. The board investigates plane crashes to figure out the likely cause.
There are “initial” investigators on site, Bangor airport spokesperson Aimee Thibodeau said.
Maine’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is working with law enforcement to confirm the identities of the people in the plane, spokesperson Lindsey Chasteen said Tuesday. The office is in charge of investigating “sudden, unexpected and violent deaths.”
Family and friends have identified three victims so far, including Tara Arnold, Shawna Collins and pilot Jacob Hosmer. The plane took off from Houston and landed in Bangor at 6:09 p.m., Sunday, according to flight tracking websites.
Little else is known about the crash that came as Bangor and most of the United States were hit by a winter storm.
In Bangor, the snowstorm limited visibility on Sunday evening, according to the National Weather Service.