Bangor International Airport in Maine will be closed until Wednesday as federal investigators began their inquiry into the fiery crash of a private jet during Sunday’s winter storm that killed six people.
Some investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived Tuesday, but the agency said it did not expect the full team to be on site until Wednesday.
A Bombardier CL-600 crashed shortly after attempting to take off at about 7:45 p.m. Sunday, landing upside down and bursting into flames, officials said.
Four passengers and two crew members were killed.
In a statement, Bangor police and airport officials said the plane departed from Houston and landed in Maine for refueling. Its ultimate destination was Paris-Vatry Airport in France.
“The aircraft stopped to receive fuel at BGR and also received de-icing services,” the statement said.
A commercial flight landed at Bangor at 7:38 p.m. on Sunday, while the last departure was a general aviation aircraft at 5:33 p.m., airport officials said.
Local officials said the wreckage is still at the crash site, which has been sealed off at NTSB’s request.
“The NTSB has asked that the scene be preserved, and at this time, the Bangor Police Department is awaiting NTSB’s approval to access the aircraft to begin the process of caring for and identifying the deceased in collaboration with the State Medical Examiner,” officials said.
The chief medical examiner’s office in Maine is working to confirm the identities of the deceased, a spokesperson said.
Relatives of three of the victims have confirmed that their loved ones died when the business jet crashed.
The fixed-wing, multiengine aircraft was registered to a limited liability corporation linked to Arnold & Itkin, a Houston-based law firm.
The widow of Jacob W. Hosmer confirmed he was one of the six people killed in the crash.
On LinkedIn, Hosmer said he started working for the law firm that owned the aircraft as a “team captain” seven months ago. He was a licensed pilot, but it was not clear if he was involved in operating the plane on Sunday.
“He was a great husband and a great father,” Lilly Hosmer said in an interview. “He will be missed by the many people who loved him and cared for him.”
The Hosmers were married 19 years and together for 20, she said. She said she found some comfort in her faith.
“We know that he is with our Lord in heaven,” she said.
A second person on board was identified by a family friend as Tara Arnold, the wife of Kurt Arnold, the cofounder of the Houston law firm.
Representatives of the law firm could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
According to the law firm’s website, Tara Arnold was a Louisiana native who graduated from Tulane Law School and was devoted to working to “help make the oil and gas industry a safer place for men and women to work.”
She met her husband in 2006, and they worked together through the Arnold & Itkin Foundation to “provide hope to some of the people who have fallen through the cracks,” according to the website.
At a press briefing Monday, the commissioner of Harris County in Texas, Lesley Briones, said she was “close friends with Kurt and Tara Arnold.”
“We are still waiting on additional information,” she said. “But unfortunately, the plane went down in Maine.”
“My heart hurts for them and their family,” she added. “It’s such a tragedy. She just was a phenomenal person, a bold leader who had, or has, a heart of service. My heart and prayers are with Kurt and their children.”
An event planner from Houston, Shawna Collins, was also on the flight. Her daughter told ABC13 in Houston that she had spoken with her mother on Sunday before the flight and that Collins was excited about the upcoming business trip to Europe.
Tonya Alanez of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
John R. Ellement can be reached at john.ellement@globe.com. Follow him @JREbosglobe.