Six people died when a private jet crashed and burst into flames during takeoff at Bangor International Airport in Maine on Saturday. The victims included a prominent lawyer, an acclaimed chef, a sommelier, an event planner, and two pilots. They were en route from Houston to France's Champagne region, stopping in Bangor to refuel, when the Bombardier Challenger 600 crashed as a snowstorm moved in.
Local police confirmed the deaths of Tara Arnold, 46, a Houston lawyer-turned-entrepreneur and philanthropist; sommelier Shelby Kuyawa, 34, of Hawaii; pilots Jacob Hosmer, 47, of Pearland, Texas, and Jorden Reidel, 33, of Texas; event planner Shawna Collins, 53, of Houston; and chef Nick Mastrascusa, 43, of Hawaii. Arnold, a Louisiana native, began her career in mergers and acquisitions and later represented clients including victims of offshore accidents. She was married with two young children.
Arnold and her husband Kurt had recently started Beyond, a luxury concierge service offering stays at properties in Turks & Caicos and Telluride, Colorado, for up to $30,000 a night. The couple, along with law firm co-founder Jason Itkin and his wife, had pledged $40 million to the University of Texas in 2024, earning their names on the school's football scoreboard.
Mastrascusa, an executive chef on Hawaii's Big Island, had overseen restaurants at The Four Seasons and other resorts. He was a married father of three. His family said he “loved life” and “believed in connection.” Kuyawa, a master sommelier, grew up in Europe and Asia and worked at high-end properties in Hawaii and Colorado. Collins, a longtime employee of Lakewood Church in Houston, planned parties for the law firm and the Arnold family. Hosmer, a pilot and flight instructor, joined Arnold & Itkin in May as captain of their flight crew. He was married with two sons.
The plane, a 2020 model, had made short trips between Houston and Austin in the days before the crash. The cause of the crash has not been determined.
