A pilot and father has been identified as the last of the six passengers who died when a private plane crashed and burst into flames during a snowstorm in Maine last month.
Jorden Reidel, 33, was co-piloting a Bombardier Challenger 600 owned by a Texas law firm with his captain, Jacob Hosmer, when it crashed in a fiery crash while taking off from Bangor International Airport on Jan. 25.
Reidel’s identity was officially released by the Maine Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Tuesday along with three other victims: Houston attorney Tara Arnold, 46; sommelier Shelby Fall, 34; and Hosmer, 47.
Event organizer Shawna Collins, 53, and chef Nick Mastrascusa, 43, were also identified by their families as victims of the accident.
The six were aboard the Houston-based law firm Arnold & Itkin on a business trip to Paris.
Reidel, of Conroe, Texas, began his aviation career in high school and earned his private pilot’s license in 2010 at age 17, according to his biography.
He earned his bachelor’s and associate of science degrees in aeronautical technology from San Jacinto College in 2012, before earning his pilot’s license in 2015.
“With his enthusiasm and strong work ethic, Jorden always strived to improve his training and received his helicopter rotorcraft rating in 2023. With his pilot’s license and helicopter thus achieving his dream of being able to fly in the open sky,” said his biography.
Reide married his wife, Jennifer, in April 2022. The couple welcomed their daughter, Kelsey, in 2024.
The young pilot – who is also an accomplished BMX rider, golfer, and boater – shared several photos on his Facebook of himself beaming with a grin in the cockpit.
A private jet bound for Paris has crashed while taking off from a refueling station at Bangor International Airport amid a heavy snowstorm.
The six people on board were flying to check out the next destination for high-value customers of the concierge service “Beyond,” founded by Tara and Kurt Arnold.
Kurt, a partner in the law firm that owns the plane, was not there when his wife Tara tragically died in the crash.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, but experts say the NTSB will likely focus on winter storm conditions and whether ice buildup on the plane’s wings prevented the plane from taking off.
Reidel is survived by his wife, young daughter, mother, father, two sisters, grandmother, in-laws, “and many other relatives and friends.” He was preceded in death by his “canine best friend, Dozer,” according to his obituary.
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