A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Business Aviation Services Editor

Bombardier manufactures a variety of business aircraft models, provides engineering, and aircraft maintenance services.

Bombardier Challenger 600, 601, 604, 605, and 650

Curt Epstein

NTSB and FAA officials are en route to Maine to investigate a fatal accident involving a Bombardier Challenger 650, which crashed last night while taking off from Bangor International Airport (KBGR). A &nbsp;Bangor police department spokesman told AIN that the manifest listed six people aboard and all are presumed dead.
Owned by Houston-based LLC KTKJ Challenger, the large-cabin jet attempted to take off around 7:45 p.m. in freezing, low-visibility conditions due to the snowstorm that blanketed most of the U.S. Northeast. According to reports, the twinjet veered right as it departed 11,440-foot Runway 33 at a ground speed of 152 knots. It then flipped over and caught fire on impact.
The pilots apparently requested and received Type I and Type IV deicing just minutes before its attempted takeoff.&nbsp;Once the NTSB's on-site investigators arrive,&nbsp;they will document the scene and examine the&nbsp;aircraft.&nbsp;The&nbsp;wreckage&nbsp;will then be&nbsp;recovered&nbsp;to a secure facility for further evaluation. A preliminary accident report is expected to be released by the agency within 30 days.
KBGR will remain closed today, with the intention of reopening tomorrow morning.

News about significant aircraft accidents and information from accident reports.

Fatal Bombardier Challenger 650 Crash in Bangor, Maine, Claims Six

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A fatal crash of a Challenger 650 attempting to take off from a snowy airport in Maine claimed six lives.

Fatal Challenger 650 Crash in Maine Claims Six

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