The attorney wife of an elite Texas law-firm partner was among six people killed when a private jet flipped over and burst into flames at a Maine airport over the weekend — just after a voice over the radio said, “Let there be light.’’
Tara Arnold was killed when the plane registered to her husband Kurt Arnold’s personal-injury firm — Arnold & Itkin Law — crashed Sunday evening, with friends recalling her as a “phenomenal person” after her death was confirmed, according to WMTW.
“I am close friends with Kurt and Tara Arnold,” said Lesley Briones, a local Texas lawmaker.
“My heart hurts for them and their children and their families. I worked at Arnold & Itkin for a time and so I know them well. This is just a tragedy and in particular Tara, she is just a phenomenal person, a bold leader and somebody who had a heart of service,” Briones added.
The plane — twin-engine Bombardier Challenger 600 — was taking off from a snow-covered runway at Bangor International Airport around 7:45 p.m. when it crashed back into the runway and exploded, killing everyone on board, officials said.
A moment before take-off, a voice was eerily heard over the flight’s radio communications saying, “Let there be light,” although it’s unclear what that meant.
“All traffic is stopped on the field!” an air-traffic controller then quickly shouted.
“Aircraft upside down, we have a passenger aircraft upside down,” a controller added as emergency crews rushed to the wreck.
Arnold was part of a prominent Texas family known for multi-million-dollar donations to Lone Star State Republican causes, as well as to the Texas Longhorns football program.
It remains unclear what role the ongoing Winter Storm Fern may have played in the wreck.
Several other planes were taking off before the wreck, but the airport was also de-icing aircraft waiting on the tarmac.
The private jet had landed in Maine just after 6 p.m. after departing Houston, and had been sitting in the cold since then — and it remains unclear whether it had been a part of the de-icing procedures.
Bombardier Challenger 600s have had a history of takeoff troubles during inclement cold-weather takeoffs — with small ice accumulations being known to affect the craft, according to aviation consultant Jeff Guzzetti.
“Given the weather conditions at the time and the history of wind contamination with this particular aircraft, I’m sure that’s something the NTSB is going to look into immediately,” he said.
“If there was any kind of precipitation at all, freezing precipitation, they would have needed to clean off those wings before they took off,” Guzzetti added.
The wreck left the airport closed, and it is not expected to reopen until Wednesday.
Additional reporting by Ella Morrison
