A routine departure in wintry conditions ended in catastrophe Sunday night, when a private jet overturned and erupted into flames during takeoff at a Maine airport, killing seven people and leaving one crew member as the sole survivor.
According to the New York Post, the crash occurred at Bangor International Airport around 7:45 p.m. as heavy snow fell during Winter Storm Fern, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The twin-engine Bombardier Challenger 600 flipped upside down shortly after attempting to leave the runway and caught fire, prompting an immediate emergency response and the shutdown of airport operations.
Haunting radio transmissions recorded moments before and after the crash have since drawn attention.
In one recording, an unidentified voice can be heard saying, “Let there be light,” shortly before the jet was cleared for takeoff. It remains unclear whether the comment came from a pilot or an air traffic controller, or what it was referencing.
Minutes later, urgency filled the airwaves.
“All traffic is stopped on the field!” another voice shouted repeatedly as first responders rushed toward the burning aircraft.
Roughly 45 seconds after the jet had been cleared to depart, air traffic control audio captured someone reporting, “Aircraft upside down, we have a passenger aircraft upside down.”
Seven people on board were killed. Officials said the lone survivor was a crew member who suffered serious injuries.
Authorities have not immediately released the names of the victims. However, records show the jet was registered to one of the founding partners of the Texas-based personal injury law firm Arnold & Itkin.
The firm’s owners, Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin, are well-known donors to Texas Longhorns football, pledging a combined $40 million to the program, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The two are also major contributors to Republican causes in Texas and created a political action committee aimed at “protect[ing] the constitutional rights of all Texans.”
Investigators said preliminary information suggests the aircraft crashed during its takeoff roll and quickly burst into flames. While snowfall was heavy at the time, officials noted that only a couple of inches had accumulated by that point, and other planes were departing safely.
The Challenger 600 had arrived in Bangor from Houston at 6:09 p.m. and had been sitting outside during the snowstorm before its attempted departure.
Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti said the aircraft model has a known history of sensitivity to icing on takeoff.
“The Bombardier Challenger 600 has a history of problems with icing on takeoff,” Guzzetti said.
“Given the weather conditions at the time and the history of wind contamination with this particular aircraft, I’m sure that’s something the NTSB is going to look into immediately,” he added.
“If there was any kind of precipitation at all, freezing precipitation, they would have needed to clean off those wings before they took off,” Guzzetti said.
Airport officials confirmed planes were being deiced at the time of the crash, but said it was not known whether the business jet had undergone treatment.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by federal authorities.
Bangor International Airport was closed immediately following the incident and is not expected to reopen until at least noon on Wednesday.
