Maine aircraft crash victims labored for luxurious journey startup led by Texas lawyer

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The six folks killed in a fiery plane crash in Maine have been flying to France’s Champagne area to scope out the following journey vacation spot for high-net-worth purchasers when their small jet flipped on the runway throughout takeoff.

They included an acclaimed chef, a sommelier and an occasion planner working for Tara Arnold, 46, a Houston lawyer-turned-entrepreneur and philanthropist. Local police confirmed the demise of Arnold and three of the others on Tuesday. They have been flying from Houston to France’s Champagne area, stopping in Bangor to refuel, when the Bombardier Challenger 600 crashed as a snowstorm moved in Jan. 25 and burst into flames.

Police on Tuesday additionally confirmed the deaths of sommelier Shelby Kuyawa, 34, of Hawaii; and pilots Jacob Hosmer, 47, of Pearland, Texas, and Jorden Reidel, 33, of Texas. The victims recognized earlier by household or others are occasion planner Shawna Collins, 53, of Houston and chef Nick Mastrascusa, 43, of Hawaii.

Lawyer launched concierge journey agency

Arnold, a Louisiana native, started her profession in mergers and acquisitions, some within the oil and fuel business, and later represented purchasers that included victims of offshore accidents. She was married with two younger youngsters. Her husband, Kurt, had co-founded Arnold & Itkin, a private damage agency the place she had labored.

The Arnolds had lately began the concierge service Beyond for vacationers who may have their each want met at properties in Turks & Caicos and Telluride, Colorado, for as a lot as $15,000 to $30,000 an evening.

The couple, together with agency co-founder Jason Itkin and his spouse, had made a $40 million pledge to the University of Texas in 2024, and had their names positioned atop the college’s towering soccer scoreboard.

Chef, sommelier labored in Hawaii

Mastrascusa, an govt chef on Hawaii’s Big Island, had overseen eating places at The Four Seasons and different resorts. He was a married father of three.

“That was the role he cherished most. He shared with them everything he loved: soccer, nature, curiosity and a deep appreciation for life,” a household assertion stated.

“Nick loved life. He embraced it with joy, humor, compassion, and soul. He believed in connection — in gathering people together, in shared meals, stories, laughter, and simply being there for one another,” the household stated.

Mastrascusa instructed his father he was going to France for his new job to search for a property to construct a lodge, his father, Jorge Mastrascusa, instructed The Associated Press.

Kuyawa, 34, a grasp sommelier, had frolicked rising up in Europe and Asia, which led her to a hospitality profession, based on the journey firm web site. She labored at high-end properties in Hawaii and Vail, Colorado, after graduating from New Mexico State University, and, together with Mastrascusa, had labored at a Kona golf resort in recent times.

She regarded ahead to sharing her “love of storytelling through food and wine” in her newest job, the positioning stated. Family members didn’t return messages searching for remark.

A inventive occasion planner, a beloved pilot

Lakewood Church in Houston, run by Joel Osteen Ministries, confirmed that Collins, a longtime worker, was amongst these killed.

“Everybody loved her. She just had that kind of personality,” church spokesperson Donald Iloff Jr. stated.

Collins had deliberate events for the regulation agency and kids’s birthday events for the Arnold household in Hawaii, in Italy and on the University of Texas stadium, her social media posts present. She was additionally trying ahead to her daughter’s marriage ceremony this yr.

“She celebrated everything, whether it was something monumental or super ordinary. She loved deeply, cared deeply, showed up fully and gave of herself without hesitation,” pal Amie Mcdonald wrote in a social media publish.

Hosmer, remembered by associates for his ever-present smile and love of pickleball, joined Arnold & Itkin in May as captain of their flight crew. A longtime pilot and flight teacher, he had registered a agency known as Platinum Skies Aviation LLC in Texas in late 2024, on-line data present.

He was married with two sons, based on a GoFundMe arrange on the household’s behalf. Relatives confirmed his demise to The Associated Press.

“To know Jake, as he was so affectionately called, was to know love, kindness, hospitality and true friendship,” the fundraising publish stated. “He had the kind of laugh that made you laugh just hearing it.”

Investigators will contemplate varied elements

The aircraft, a 2020 mannequin, had made quick journeys within the days earlier than the crash between Houston and Austin, Texas. Bangor International Airport is among the closest U.S. refueling stops for personal jets flying to Europe.

The explanation for the crash has not been decided. Experts say the NTSB will probably concentrate on the approaching storm and questions on whether or not ice accumulating on the wings stored the aircraft from getting airborne, as has occurred at the least twice earlier than on that mannequin. However, the company will contemplate all potential elements.

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