Business jet with 8 people on board crashes at Bangor airport in Maine

A business jet owned by a law firm in Texas has crashed while attempting to take off from Bangor International Airport in Maine, officials say. Eight people were on board but their conditions were not immediately known.

The accident happened just before 8 p.m. on Sunday when the aircraft, a Bombardier Challenger 650, was trying to take off from Bangor Airport after a flight from Houston earlier in the day.

The airport confirmed at 8:25 p.m. that an incident was under investigation and said first responders were at the scene. The airport asked the public to avoid the area as the runway was closed.

Images from local station WABI-TV showed a large emergency response on the runway, with smoke visible in the area. Heavy snow conditions were visible at the scene but the cause of the incident has not been confirmed.

Some residents reported hearing a loud boom and described a possible explosion.

The plane was owned by Arnold & Itkin LLP, a Houston-based law firm, according to PlaneSpotters. It’s unknown if anyone from the firm was among those on board. Flight records show the plane left Houston earlier in the day and landed at Bangor Airport at 6:09 p.m. It crashed while taking off less than 2 hours later.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the crash.

NEW IMAGE obtained by CNN affiliate WABI in Bangor, Maine showing the Challenger 650 private jet that crashed on takeoff around 7:45 p.m. tonight. pic.twitter.com/ywT6KdgN2O

— Pete Muntean (@petemuntean) January 26, 2026