The attorney wife of an elite Texas law-firm partner and a pilot who joined the company less than a year ago were 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 — a 46-year-old powerhouse lawyer who lived with her two kids and mega-wealthy husband in a Houston mansion — was en route to Paris with those on board the plane when it crashed Sunday evening, killing everyone, according to records and reports.

The plane was registered to Tara’s husband Kurt Arnold’s successful personal-injury firm — Arnold & Itkin Law — where she also worked. The other five fatal victims aboard the jet have not yet not publicly identified.

“I am close friends with Kurt and Tara Arnold,” said Lesley Briones, a local Texas lawmaker, to WMTW on Monday.

“My heart hurts for them and their children and their families,” Briones said. “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.”

Jacob Hosmer, a 47-year-old Houston-area pilot who was the captain of the flight, also died during the wreck, his father confirmed to KPRC2.

“He’s in Heaven now with Jesus,” grieving dad Gary Hosmer told the outlet. 

Hosmer has been working as a pilot for Arnold and Itkin since May 2025. He has held previous positions with Wing Aviation, Apollo Aviation and Priester Aviation, all of which frequently run private charter jets, according to his LinkedIn.

Friends of Hosmer described him as a loving and kind father and husband. 

“I would describe him as a great pilot, a loving husband, and a phenomenal father,” a longtime friend told the outlet. 

 “He was always kind. He was always laughing.”

The plane — a twin-engine Bombardier Challenger 600, which can seat up to 11 people — 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.

Kurt Arnold and his law partner Jason Itkin — as well as both their wives — were known to make multimillion-dollar donations to Lone Star State Republican causes, as well as to such things as the Texas Longhorns football program, which they pledged $40 million to.

Tara, a Louisiana native, worked at the firm, specializing in offshore workplace injuries after graduating with high honors from Tulane Law School.

She and her husband and kids lived together in an $11 million Houston home.

The doomed jet’s flight had landed in Bangor around 6 p.m. for apparent refueling after taking off from Houston and then was taking off again in the blizzard en route to Paris when the tragedy struck, KHOU reported.

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 — and it remains unclear whether the ill-fated jet had been a part of those procedures.

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.

With great powder comes great responsibility.

The folks who run Maine’s ski areas seem to understand that. They have these beautiful hills with scenic vistas, state-of-the-art snow machines, groomed trails, warming huts and everything else you need for winter fun.

And while skiing is the main reason these places were built, the folks who run them want to share them (usually for a price) with all the non-skiers, too. All around Maine you can find ski areas that also offer tubing, tobogganing, snowshoeing, ice skating or fat tire biking.

Here’s a list of places where a non-skier can enjoy the powder as much as anyone else.

The Iglu lounge at Sunday River. (Photo courtesy Lone Spruce)

The Edge Tubing Park at Black Mountain is now open for the winter. There are two 500-foot-long chutes for the tubes, and a lift to bring people and their tubes back up to the top. The tubing park is usually open on selected Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and school vacations. Tickets are $25, tube included, and there’s no time limit. You can come and ride all day.

The Jack Williams Toboggan Chute at the Camden Snow Bowl in Camden is a one-of-a kind attraction. First built in 1936, it’s a 70-foot-high and 400-foot-long wooden chute that sends tobogganers speeding through the trees at up to 40 miles an hour and onto frozen Hosmer Pond. The chute is open most Saturdays and Sundays in winter, after the U.S. Toboggan National Championships (Feb. 6-8). It costs $10 an hour per person, toboggan included. The Snow Bowl also has a 500-foot-long tubing hill, besides ski slopes. There’s a lift to carry you and your tube back up to the top. The cost is $15 per person, for an hour.

A toboggan heads down the chute at Camden Snow Bowl. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)

While your friends are skiing or snowboarding at Lost Valley, you could be showshoeing. Passes for snowshoe trails at Lost Valley are $6 and snowshoe rentals are $18. A map on the Lost Valley website shows a half-dozen or so trails winding around and at the base of the ski area.

This ski area near Bangor features a 600-foot tubing hill, with a slightly U-shaped slope. It’s usually open from Feb. 1, with hours every day but Monday, although it’s sometimes open on holidays, as it was on MLK Day this year, which was a Monday. Tickets are $20 per person and there’s a lift so you don’t have to trudge back up the hill when your ride is over.

The skating rink is free at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester. (Photo by Gretchen Layman)

Not strictly a ski area, but Pineland Farms offers 18 miles of groomed trials over gently sloping hills for Nordic skiing. But it’s really become a winter fun hub, with lots of other things to do, including sledding, ice skating, snowshoeing, fat tire biking and even a disc golf course that’s open in winter. The flooded skating area is lit up at night, and, along with the sledding hill, are both free to the public. The disc golf course is $8 to $10 a round or $10 to $12 for all-day play, plus $2 for disc rentals. Showshoe passes are $9 for a half day and $12 for a full day, while a fat tire bike pass is $5 a day. For rental information call  207-688-4539.

The Rangeley Lakes Trails Center, while not officially part of Saddleback, is nestled at the base of the mountain. So if you have friends skiing at Saddleback, it would be very easy for you to take advantage of the snowshoeing or fat tire biking at the trails center. The trails have stunning views of the Saddleback range and beyond. Snowshoe day passes are $10 to $15 while a fat bike pass is $10. Snowshoe rentals are $12 to $18 while fat tire bike rentals are $50 for half day or $75 for a full day, trail pass included.

The sledding hill is free at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester. (Photo courtesy of Pineland Farms)

This major ski resort in the state’s western mountains offers snowshoeing and ice skating at its Outdoor Center. All the trails, and the rink, have beautiful views. Skating is at an outdoor, NHL-sized rink, open daily from December through mid-March, weather permitting. Rink passes are $5 (children) to $15, while skate rentals range from $5 to $13. Snowshoe trail passes are $6 (children) to $21, while snowshoe rentals range from $11 to $22.

Inside the Iglu at Sunday River. (Photo courtesy Lone Spruce)

The Iglu at Sunday River is a slopeside lounge, carved into a giant igloo made of snow and ice. It’s open daily from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and is definitely a different place to have a drink. People can ski in or take a shuttle to get there. There are sweets, drinks and music.