Six people presumed dead in private jet crash in Maine
- - Six people presumed dead in private jet crash in Maine
Rachel HaganJanuary 27, 2026 at 9:05 PM
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The fiery crash occurred during a fierce winter storm [APTN / WABI]
All six people on board a private jet are thought to have died after the aircraft crashed in a snowstorm while taking off from Bangor International Airport in the US state of Maine.
An initial report by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had said seven people were killed and one was seriously injured in the crash on Sunday.
In a later statement, Bangor airport said no-one on the Bombardier Challenger 600 "was transported to the hospital, and all on the flight are presumed to be deceased".
The incident came as a winter storm barrelled across a large swathe of the US. Pilots had reportedly been struggling with visibility at the airport before the crash.
The private jet went down at about 19:45 local time on Sunday (00:45 GMT on Monday), Bangor airport said.
It added that "the identities of the people on the flight are not being released publicly at this time, pending positive identification".
The FAA has posted an update since its preliminary report, saying all six people on board the Bombardier - two flight crews and four passengers - are believed to have died in the crash.
It said the jet "crashed under unknown circumstances on departure", and the aircraft "came to rest inverted and caught fire".
The cause of the crash is being investigated.
Public records show that the plane is registered to a law firm in Houston, Texas.
Audio from air traffic control, reported by the BBC's US partner CBS News and published by LiveATC.net, captured discussions between controllers and pilots minutes before the crash concerning poor visibility, though it was unclear which aircraft were heard in the communications.
Shortly afterwards, a controller was heard saying there was "a passenger aircraft upside down". Images from the scene showed smoke and flames on the runway.
The storm in the US, which killed several people and left hundreds of thousands without power, has also caused significant travel disruption.
More than 11,000 flights were cancelled and nearly 5,500 delayed across the country on Sunday, according to tracker FlightAware.
Airports in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York and New Jersey were among those affected.
Between 10 and 16 inches (25-40cm) of snow is forecast to accumulate in parts of Maine, including Bangor, by Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Additional reporting by Yaroslav Lukov
Source: “AOL Breaking”
