Share this @internewscast.com
The head chef at a prestigious Hawaiian resort has been confirmed as the fourth casualty in a tragic private jet accident that claimed six lives.
Nick Mastrascusa, aged 43, perished when the Bombardier Challenger 650 jet flipped over while attempting to take off from a snow-covered runway.
The aircraft departed from Bangor International Airport in Maine at approximately 7:45 PM on Sunday, bound for Paris, but tragically overturned within moments of leaving the ground.
Among the victims were four passengers and two crew members, including Tara Arnold, the spouse of a renowned attorney, event organizer Shawna Collins, and the pilot, Jacob Hosmer.
The victims’ bodies remain in the twisted wreckage, untouched, as investigators face challenges accessing the icy runway to conduct their examination.
Before his untimely death, Mastrascusa was the executive chef at the Kukio Golf and Beach Club in Kamuela, Hawaii, where he was celebrated for his ‘island fresh cuisine’ as highlighted on the club’s website.
His sister Valeria appealed for donations to pay for his funeral and support his wife Natalia and their three children Analani, 14, Mateo, 10, and Noah 7.
‘Nick touched the lives of so many in our community through his kindness, dedication, generosity and friendship,’ she wrote.
Nick Mastrascusa, 43, the executive chef at Kukio Golf and Beach Club in Kamuela, Hawaii, is the fourth victim of the Bangor Airport private jet crash. He is pictured with his children Analani, 14, Mateo, 10, and Noah 7
The Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet went down during takeoff from Bangor International Airport in Maine around 7.45pm on Sunday, killing six people on board
‘As we grieve this unimaginable loss, our hearts are with the Mastrascusa family and all who knew and loved Nick.
‘We are coming together to support Natalia and the children during this unthinkable time, helping to provide for their immediate needs and future as they navigate life without Nick.’
Mastrascusa grew up in Montevideo, Uruguay, until he moved to Miami aged 17 and later honed his craft at the Culinary Arts School at Greystone in California.
He also holds a master’s degree in caviar and exotic meats.
The rising chef worked his way through the Ristorante Giacosa, The Biltmore Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Residences Palm Beach, and Four Seasons New York before relocating to Hawaii.
There he ran the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai’s Beach Tree restaurant where he was known for his paella – a traditional Spanish dish.
He demanded a specific chorizo, saffron and rice that had be flown in from Spain, and delayed its introduction to the menu as he refused to use any substitutes – much to the hotel’s chagrin.
Mastrascusa served numerous celebrity diners throughout his career including Jennifer Aniston, Bruce Willis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lenny Kravitz, Adam Sandler, Marc Anthony, and former US presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush.
Tara Arnold, 46, wife of personal injury attorney Kurt Arnold, died along with four of her friends on a girls’ trip to Paris. The couple are pictured with their children Jaxon and Isla
Event planner Shawna Collins was also killed in the private jet crash
Jacob Hosmer, 47, the pilot of the private jet, was also killed in the crash
But his most memorable encounter was with actress Cameron Diaz while at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hawaii.
He was chatting to two regular customers about an olive oil brand that bore his name.
‘I gave them a bottle of the oil and told them it was amazing and incredibly fresh,’ he told El Pais in 2022.
No sooner had he finished when Diaz, who was eavesdropping from the bar nearby, interjected: ‘Aren’t you going to give me a bottle?’
When Mastrascusa brought her a fresh bottle, she asked him to sign it.
Three of the victims have been identified by their families – Arnold, 46, Collins, 39, Mastrascusa, 43, and Hosmer, 47, as of Tuesday evening.
The other two – the second pilot and a female passenger believed to be a friend of Arnold – are yet to be publicly named.
Arnold was a top commercial lawyer at her husband Kurt Arnold’s law firm Arnold & Itkin, which she joined soon after it was founded in 2004.
She and Kurt lived in an $11 million mansion in Houston with their two children, Jaxon and Isla.
Collins was a friend of Arnold and planned events for the firm through her company. Her social media pages includes numerous photos with Arnold and her husband.
She was organizing her daughter Keaton Milburn’s upcoming wedding after she got engaged to Brandon Dawkins, a sports marketing staffer at Adidas.
Tara, a commercial lawyer with decades of experience, worked at her husband’s law firm, Arnold & Itkin, since it was established in 2005
Tara and Kurt (right) are honored as Humanitarian Heroes at the 2024 KNOW Autism Foundation Gala
The plane left Houston earlier on Sunday, landing at 6.09pm and taking off at 7.44pm after refueling for its journey across the Atlantic for the foursome’s trip to Paris.
Arnold & Itkin, to which the downed plane was registered, is known for defending undocumented migrants.
A page talking up the firm’s expertise in aviation accident litigation was quietly removed from its website after the crash.
The firm confirmed to the Daily Mail neither Kurt Arnold nor the other named partner Jason Itkin were on the plane.
Arnold earned her law degree from Tulane University in Louisiana, near the small town in Sabine Parish where she grew up.
Inspired by her mother, a personal injury attorney for victims of crime, she wrote on her company profile that she wanted to be a lawyer from a young age.
‘When someone hires a lawyer to pursue a claim or file a lawsuit, it represents years of a person’s life, their family’s future, and the power to make a living for the rest of his or her life. It’s my business to protect those things,’ she wrote.
Arnold graduated magna cum laude and began her career at the Houston office of a large New York City law firm, specializing in mergers and acquisitions.
While in Houston she met Kurt and joined his firm.
Kurt and Tara (left) with the other half of Arnold & Itkin – Jason Itkin and his wife Kisha
While in Houston she met Kurt, with whom she has two children, Jaxon and Isla, and joined his firm
Her company profile described how she was passionate about helping victims of accidents on offshore oil platforms.
‘During her free time, Tara loves to travel to new places and enjoys being active outdoors,’ her bio read.
Arnold’s mother Karen and brother Sam declined to comment when contacted by the Daily Mail.
The Arnolds were noted philanthropists, particularly to Kurt’s alma mater, the University of Texas. They, along with Jason and his wife Kisha, have donated more than $40 million to the university’s athletics programs.
Harris County Precinct Four Commissioner Lesley Briones paid tribute to Tara, with whom she was a close friend along with Kurt.
‘My heart hurts for them and their children and their families. I worked at Arnold & Itkin for a time and so I know them well,’ she said.
‘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.’
Collins’ daughter said she had spoken to her mother ahead of the flight on Sunday and Collins was excited about the upcoming business trip to Europe.
Weather cameras capture the poor visibility at the airport around the time of the crash
A Bombardier Challenger 650, the same model involved in Sunday night’s runway incident
One of Hosmer’s friends also said he knew him for 15 years as an aviation specialist.
‘I would describe him as a great pilot, a loving husband and a phenomenal father,’ they. ‘He was always kind. He was always laughing.’
Hosmer’s LinkedIn profile lists Arnold & Itkin LLP as his employer since May 2025.
The National Transportation Safety Board said a few crash investigators reached the site by Tuesday afternoon, but a full team wouldn’t arrive until at least Wednesday.
Northeast Maine was walloped by Winter Storm Fern along with 34 states across the US, making access to the site difficult.
‘The NTSB has asked that the scene be preserved,’ police said on Tuesday.
‘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.’
Bangor Police confirmed to the Daily Mail that the bodies were still in the wreckage and could be for as long as a few more days.
Dramatic footage showed the burning wreckage of the plane upside down on the runway. Flight data showed it veered right during takeoff and flipped at 175mph.
Audio from the aircraft’s radio recording, heard by the Daily Mail, included a voice saying ‘let there be light’ minutes before the crash.
It was unclear whether the eerie line was spoken by one of the pilots or an air-traffic controller, or what they were referring to.
They may have been commenting on how Bangor’s Runway 33 went from pitch-black to brightly lit after the runway lighting was switched on.
Doorcam video captured a loud bang when the plane crashed, but not the plane itself.
Other radio chatter included the pilots and air traffic control discussing low visibility in the winter storm and removing ice from the plane before takeoff.
A plume of smoke emerges from the plane after it crashed on the runway at Bangor airport
Visibility was poor due to the storm that’s pummeling America, which brought heavy snowfall
Less than two minutes after the tower cleared the plane for takeoff, they shouted, ‘All traffic is stopped on the field! All traffic is stopped on the field!’
Minutes later, another controller said: ‘Aircraft upside down. We have a passenger aircraft upside down.’
A witness claimed the plane lifted off the runway but then crashed back onto it and ‘exploded’.
Photos showed the destroyed aircraft smashed and flipped over on the runway with black smoke filling the air.
