A Bombardier Challenger 600 business jet crashed during takeoff at Bangor International Airport in Maine on January 27, killing all six people aboard. The plane was en route from Houston to Paris and had stopped to refuel when it crashed around 7:45 p.m. while taking off in winter storm conditions. The aircraft flipped over and caught fire on the tarmac. The cause remains unknown, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which began investigating immediately.
The crash killed an event planner employed by a Houston church and a corporate pilot who had recently joined a personal injury law firm whose co-founder has ties to the aircraft’s ownership. Investigators are examining whether ice accumulation on the aircraft’s wings may have played a role, citing the Bombardier model’s history of wing-contamination incidents in similar weather conditions.
Victims Identified
Lakewood Church in Houston confirmed that Shawna Collins, 53, a longtime employee and event planner who organized parties and events across the United States and internationally, was among those killed. According to church spokesperson Donald Iloff Jr., Collins “just had that kind of personality” that made her beloved by those who worked with her.
“Everybody wanted her to plan her events for them,” Iloff said. The church called Collins “a light that brightened our days.”
Collins, who was married with children and grandchildren, had been helping plan her daughter’s wedding set for 2026, according to Iloff.
The family of Jacob Hosmer, 47, confirmed his death on Tuesday. Hosmer had started working for Arnold and Itkin, a Houston personal injury law firm, seven months ago as a team captain. Before that, he had worked as a licensed flight instructor and was the managing member of Platinum Skies Aviation, a Texas company incorporated in late 2024, according to online records.
Flight Context
The Bombardier Challenger 600, a wide-bodied business jet, departed Houston bound for Paris on Sunday evening and had stopped at Bangor International Airport, about 200 miles north of Boston, to refuel. The airport is frequently used by private jets traveling to Europe.
A founding partner of Arnold and Itkin is listed as the agent for the company that owns the plane, according to airport records. The law firm has declined to identify the passengers aboard the aircraft or comment on the crash.
Weather and Departure
A massive winter storm was falling in the Bangor region on Sunday with near-zero temperatures. However, visibility and snow accumulation were relatively light at the time of the flight’s attempted departure around 7:45 p.m.
Another aircraft that departed ahead of the Bombardier radioed to the tower that visibility was not ideal and chose not to fly. The Bombardier, however, proceeded through the standard de-icing process and took off after other jets had successfully departed from the airport.
“The plane crashed under unknown circumstances on departure, came to rest inverted and caught fire,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Investigation Underway
The National Transportation Safety Board began investigating immediately after the crash. Bangor International Airport remained closed Tuesday to preserve the accident scene.
A preliminary report outlining facts of the crash should be released in approximately one month, according to the NTSB. The final investigation report is expected to take more than a year to complete.
Aviation safety experts are examining whether ice accumulation on the aircraft’s wings may have played a role in the crash. The Bombardier Challenger 600 model experienced similar incidents more than 20 years ago in Birmingham, England, and Montrose, Colorado, involving wing contamination from ice.
“Given the weather conditions at the time, and the history of wing contamination with this particular aircraft, I’m sure that’s something the NTSB is going to look into immediately,” said Jeff Guzzetti, an aviation safety consultant.
John Cox, CEO of Safety Operating Systems, said investigators would consider all factors in determining the cause. “Nothing is off the table,” he said.
The crash affected operations at Bangor International Airport, with dozens of scheduled flights impacted while the airport was closed for investigation and recovery.