Bodies of six people killed a horror private jet crash have finally been removed from the wreckage on a snowy runway four days after it flipped over on takeoff.
The Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet crashed during takeoff from Bangor International Airport in Maine about 7.45pm on Sunday.
Top lawyer Tara Arnold, 46, chef Nick Mastrascusa, 43, wine expert Shelby Kuyawa, 34, event planner Shawna Collins, 39, and pilot Jacob Hosmer, 47, were all killed.
Their bodies spent days entombed by snow and ice in the twisted and charred metal as crash investigators struggled to reach the the frozen runway.
Finally on Thursday morning, the Maine Office of Chief Medical Examiner announced they had been extracted and formal identification was underway.
All but one of the victims – the co-pilot flying with Hosmer – have been identified by family and friends as being on the plane and therefore presumed dead.
The medical examiner expects to identify the bodies this week, and it will then be up to the Bangor Police Department to release the names.
Bangor Airport, which has been closed since the disaster, is expected to reopen at noon on Thursday, airport officials said.
The delay in retrieving the remains was due to National Transportation Safety Board crash investigators having a hard time reaching the plane.
Only six investigators had arrived by Wednesday morning and the full team was still on its way. Crews then had to dig the wreckage out of the ice and snow.
The NTSB earlier asked police ‘that the scene be preserved’ so investigators could examine it with the bodies still where they were after the crash.
‘At this time, the Bangor Police Department is awaiting NTSB’s approval to access the aircraft to begin the process of caring for and identifying the deceased in collaboration with the State Medical Examiner,’ police said on Tuesday.
Bangor Police confirmed to the Daily Mail that the bodies were still in the wreckage and could be for as long as a few more days.
Northeast Maine was walloped by Winter Storm Fern along with 34 states across the US, making access to the site difficult.
Dramatic footage showed the burning wreckage of the plane upside down on the runway. Flight data showed it veered right during takeoff and flipped at 175mph.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, amid fears that the jet may have overbalanced due to a buildup of ice on its wings.
The plane was owned by powerful law firm Arnold & Itkin, and was flying to Paris on a trip for Arnold and her husband Kurt’s luxury travel venture.
Arnold, 46, planned the trip as part of her new luxury travel company Beyond, a source close to the passengers told the Daily Mail.
Beyond provides invitation-only curated travel experiences for the extremely wealthy, including stays at five-star resorts and exotic culinary adventures.
It is unclear why the flight had to go ahead in such dangerous conditions, with that question likely to cause angst for the plane’s owners in coming months.
Mastrascusa and Kuyawa joined Beyond after leaving Kukio Golf and Beach Club in Kamuela, described as Hawaii’s most exclusive resort, late last year.
The Arnolds scooped them up to play key roles in the new venture with Mastrascusa appointed executive vice president of hospitality and charged with designing the culinary adventures that would set the company apart.
Arnold was a top commercial lawyer at her husband Kurt Arnold’s law firm Arnold & Itkin, which she joined soon after it was founded in 2004.
Arnold was a top commercial lawyer at Arnold & Itkin, which she joined soon after it was founded in 2004.
She and Kurt lived in an $11 million mansion in Houston with their two children, Jaxon and Isla.
Collins was a friend of Arnold and planned events for the firm through her company. Her social media pages includes numerous photos with Arnold and her husband.
She was organizing her daughter Keaton Milburn’s upcoming wedding after she got engaged to Brandon Dawkins, a sports marketing staffer at Adidas.
Collins was listed as the ‘luxury event designer and experience curator’ on Beyond’s website and would be essential to scout the locations on the trip.
The plane left Houston earlier on Sunday, landing at 6.09pm and taking off at 7.44pm after refueling for its journey across the Atlantic for the foursome’s trip to Paris.
Arnold & Itkin, to which the downed plane was registered, is known for defending undocumented migrants.
A page talking up the firm’s expertise in aviation accident litigation was quietly removed from its website after the crash.
Mastrascusa’s sister Valeria appealed for donations to pay for his funeral and support his wife Natalia and their three children Analani, 14, Mateo, 10, and Noah 7.
‘Nick touched the lives of so many in our community through his kindness, dedication, generosity and friendship,’ she wrote.
‘As we grieve this unimaginable loss, our hearts are with the Mastrascusa family and all who knew and loved Nick.
One of Hosmer’s friends also said he knew him for 15 years as an aviation specialist.
‘I would describe him as a great pilot, a loving husband and a phenomenal father,’ they. ‘He was always kind. He was always laughing.’
Hosmer’s LinkedIn profile lists Arnold & Itkin LLP as his employer since May 2025.
