A Bombardier Challenger 650 crashed upon takeoff from Bangor International Airport. (Photo credit: WABI/YouTube)
A private jet carrying eight people crashed while attempting to take off from a Bangor, Maine, airport Sunday evening (Jan. 25).
A Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet with connections to a Houston law firm landed in Bangor Sunday afternoon. Two hours later, around 7:45 p.m. local time, the aircraft was set to return to Houston, according to reports.
Audio obtained by LiveATC.net revealed a conversation between air traffic control and pilots. In the audio, they can be heard talking about low visibility and de-icing just minutes before takeoff.
The aircraft was cleared for takeoff shortly thereafter. Two minutes after being cleared, a controller can be heard saying, “All traffic is stopped on the field! All traffic is stopped on the field!”
Another controller is then heard saying, “Aircraft upside down. We have a passenger aircraft upside down.”
Witnesses reported that they saw the plane flip over while attempting to take off and burst into flames.
The crash comes amid a massive winter storm in the northeast. Temperatures in Maine are well below freezing, with snow causing very low visibility. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The status of those onboard is currently unknown.
In a statement posted to Facebook, the Bangor International Airport shared that the airport is closed and first responders are on scene and “are expected to be actively working the site for several more hours before additional information is available.”
The identities of those on board have not been released, but the jet’s tail number has been linked to a Houston-based law firm, Arnold & Itkin. It is unclear if the firm’s partners, Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin, were aboard.
Both Arnold and Itkin are University of Texas graduates and made one of the largest donations in the school’s history in 2024, according to The Sporting News.
The University said that over the past nine years, the Arnold and Itkin families have pledged millions of dollars to support the school’s athletic program. According to a press release, the Kurt & Tara Arnold Family Foundation and the Jason & Kisha Itkin Family Foundation have collectively pledged $40 million to support the University of Texas athletics program.
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