Six people aboard a private business jet registered to the same address as a prominent Houston law firm were killed Sunday night when the jet crashed on takeoff in Bangor, Maine.
The 7:45 p.m. crash Sunday occurred while the airport remained open despite cold and snowy conditions. The National Transportation Safety Board is on site investigating the cause of the crash.
Although the Federal Aviation Administration initially reported seven were killed and one injured, the Bangor airport said through a press release that only six people were on the flight’s manifest. “No one from the incident was transported to the hospital, and all on the flight are presumed to be deceased,” the release stated. “The identities of the people on the flight are not being released publicly at this time, pending positive identification.”
“The preliminary information we have is the plane crashed upon departing Bangor International Airport and experienced a postcrash fire,” the agency said in a statement.
The plane, a 2020 Bombardier CL 600, was registered at the address of Arnold & Itkin law firm, a well-known personal injury firm co-founded by Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin, both University of Texas School of Law graduates.
Tara Arnold, Kurt Arnold’s wife who also was an attorney at the firm, and Shawna Collins, an event planner, were among those killed in the crash, according to multiple sources who spoke with ABC13.
Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones, who said she had worked at Arnold & Itkin and was friends with the Arnolds, discussed the crash during an unrelated news conference Monday. Briones said Tara Arnold had “a heart of service” and that she was involved in community efforts in Houston through a Precinct 4-focused nonprofit.
A spokesperson for Briones said the commissioner does not have direct knowledge about any fatalities in the crash and is currently awaiting more information.
In total, airport officials said there were four passengers and two crew members onboard the plane, which had arrived from Houston. The aircraft was headed for the Paris-Vatry Airport in France, but had stopped in Bangor for fuel and de-icing services.
The Bangor Police Department was also still awaiting the NTSB’s approval to access the plane and begin the process of identifying the victims, the airport said in a Tuesday news release.
The firm has been a prominent donor to political campaigns through its political action committee, Texans For Truth and Liberty. Together with Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the two PACs gave $268,000 to GOP San Antonio State Rep. Marc LaHood’s campaign. LaHood helped defeat a bill that would have limited lawsuit awards. Truth and Liberty has emerged as a major donor to candidates fighting tort reform measures in the Legislature.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows posted on the social media platform X that he and his wife Elisabeth were keeping all of those affected by the plane crash in their prayers. “May God bring strength, comfort, and peace to every family impacted by this heartbreaking situation,” he wrote.
State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano also posted on X late Sunday.“With broken hearts we are praying hard tonight for our friends and fellow Texans affected by this tragic plane crash in Maine!”
The founding partners through their respective family foundations – the Kurt & Tara Arnold Family Foundation and the Jason & Kisha Itkin Family Foundation have pledged $40 million to UT athletics.
The law firm did not immediately release information when contacted by The Texas Tribune Monday and Tuesday. The airport remains closed.
The investigation will focus on the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment. Witnesses to the accident or those who have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation are asked to contact the NTSB at [email protected].
A preliminary NTSB report which will contain information gathered during the team’s initial investigation will be available within 30 days. A probable cause of the crash along with a listing of contributing factors will be released in a final report, which normally takes up to a year or more to complete.
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