Top lawyer, 46, who is married to one of Texas’s most powerful attorneys was one of six killed in private jet crash while taking ‘girls’ trip’ to Paris

The wife of a prominent lawyer was one of six people killed in a horrific private jet crash on a snowy airport runway.

Tara Arnold, 46, wife of personal injury lawyer Kurt Arnold, died along with several friends during a girls’ trip to Paris.

Event planner Shawna Collins also died in the tragedy. ABC 13 reports. Her daughter said she spoke to her mother before Sunday’s flight and said Collins was excited about his upcoming business trip to Europe.

Also killed was Houston-area pilot Jacob Hosmer, 47, who piloted the private jet. According to Click 2 Houston.

Her LinkedIn profile lists Arnold’s husband’s law firm, Arnold & Itkin LLP, as her employer since May 2025.

One of Hosmer’s friends said he had known him as an aviation expert for 15 years.

‘I would describe him as a great pilot, a loving husband and an extraordinary father,’ his friend said. ‘He was always kind. ‘He was always laughing.’

The Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet crashed during takeoff from Bangor International Airport in Maine around 7:45 pm on Sunday.

Dramatic footage showed the burning wreckage of the plane lying upside down on the runway. Flight data showed that it veered to the right during takeoff and turned upside down at 175 miles per hour.

The FAA incorrectly said early Monday that there were eight people on board, including one surviving crew member.

Event planner Shawna Collins also died in private jet crash

The Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet crashed during takeoff from Bangor International Airport in Maine at around 19:45 on Sunday, killing all six people on board.

A business attorney with decades of experience, Tara has worked at Arnold & Itkin since its founding in 2005.

She and Kurt live in an $11 million mansion in Houston with their two children, Jaxon and Isla.

The high-profile Houston firm to which the crashed plane was registered is known for advocating for undocumented immigrants.

A page citing the firm’s expertise in aviation accident cases was quietly removed from the website following the accident.

Tara and her friends touched down from Houston at 6:09 pm on Sunday to refuel and clear ice before heading to the Atlantic Ocean.

He earned his law degree from Tulane University in Louisiana, near the small town in Sabine County where he grew up.

Inspired by her mother, a personal injury lawyer for crime victims, she wrote in her company profile that she wanted to be a lawyer from a young age.

‘When someone hires a lawyer to pursue a claim or file a lawsuit, this represents years of one’s life, the future of one’s family, and one’s ability to earn a living for the rest of one’s life. “It’s my job to protect them,” he wrote.

Tara graduated magna cum laude and began her career in the Houston office of a large law firm in New York City, specializing in mergers and acquisitions.

While in Houston, she met Kurt and joined his firm.

A business attorney with decades of experience, Tara had been with her husband’s law firm, Arnold & Itkin, since its founding in 2005.

Tara and Kurt (right) honored as Humanitarian Heroes at the 2024 KNOW Autism Foundation Gala

Kurt and Tara (left) with the other half of Arnold & Itkin – Jason Itkin and wife Kisha

While in Houston, she met Kurt, who had two children, Jaxon and Isla, and joined his firm.

His company profile described how passionate he was about helping victims of accidents on offshore oil rigs.

Her bio reads: ‘In her spare time, Tara loves traveling to new places and enjoys being active outdoors.

Tara’s mother Karen and brother Sam declined to comment when contacted by the Daily Mail.

The Arnolds were known as philanthropists, especially at the University of Texas, Kurt’s alma mater. They, along with Jason and his wife Kisha, have donated more than $40 million to the university’s athletic programs.

Harris County District Four Commissioner Lesley Briones paid tribute to Tara, with whom she and Kurt were close friends.

‘My heart aches for them, their children and their families. “I worked at Arnold & Itkin for a while, so I know them well,” he said.

‘This is just a tragedy and Tara in particular is an extraordinary human being, a courageous leader and someone with a heart of service.’

The voice on the plane’s radio recording heard by the Daily Mail included a voice saying ‘let there be light’ minutes before the crash.

Weather cameras record poor visibility at the airport at the time of the crash

A Bombardier Challenger 650, the same model involved in Sunday night’s track incident

It was not clear whether this frightening remark was made by one of the pilots or the air traffic controller, or what he meant.

They might be commenting on how Bangor’s runway 33 went from pitch black to brightly lit once the track lighting was turned on.

In the door camera video, a loud explosion was heard when the plane crashed, but the plane itself could not be seen.

Other radio conversations included pilots and air traffic control discussing low visibility in a winter storm and removing ice from the plane before takeoff.

Less than two minutes after the tower cleared the plane for takeoff, ‘All traffic on the field has been stopped!’ they shouted. ‘All traffic has been stopped on the field!’

Minutes later another controller said: ‘The plane is upside down. ‘We have an upside down passenger plane.’

An eyewitness claimed that the plane took off from the runway but then crashed again and ‘exploded’.

Photos show the destroyed plane breaking apart and flipping over on the runway, filling the air with black smoke.

The temperature at the time of the crash was only 1F (well below freezing) and there was 10 to 8 inches of snow in Bangor on Sunday.

Smoke rose from the plane that crashed on the runway at Bangor Airport

Visibility was poor due to the storm that hit America and caused heavy snowfall

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

There was widespread travel chaos across the United States due to Winter Storm Fern, with 11,000 flights canceled.

FAA weather cameras recorded cloudy conditions at the airport at the time of the crash.

Maine’s winter storm warning went into effect at 7 p.m. and will continue until 3 a.m. Tuesday.

Forecasters called the storm a disaster as at least 24 states declared states of emergency.

Heavy snow and dangerous icy conditions hit 34 states in the South, Midwest and Northeast.