NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A nationally recognized aviation attorney says a fatal private jet crash in Maine that killed six people may have been caused by a combination of pilot inexperience in extreme winter conditions and a long-documented safety concern with the aircraft’s design.

According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, a Bombardier Challenger 600 jet traveling from Texas to Paris stopped at Bangor International Airport on January 28 to refuel during a snowstorm and near-zero temperatures.

At 7:27 p.m., the aircraft was treated with deicing fluid to remove ice buildup on the wings. However, investigators say the jet did not begin takeoff preparations until 7:44 p.m. — 17 minutes later, exceeding the typical nine-minute safety window for departing after deicing in winter weather.

Shortly after takeoff, the jet rolled over and crashed, bursting into flames. All six people on board were killed.

Aviation attorney Keith Williams of The Keith Williams Law Group says the delay could have allowed dangerous ice to re-accumulate on the wings.

“This is exactly the type of scenario that deicing holdover times are designed to prevent,” Williams said. “If a plane waits too long after deicing, ice can reform on the wings and drastically affect lift during takeoff.”

Williams also points to previous incidents involving the Challenger 600 in which ice buildup caused the aircraft to roll unexpectedly after takeoff. Those incidents occurred more than 20 years ago in Birmingham, England, and Montrose, Colorado, though neither crash resulted in fatalities.

Following those incidents, the aircraft manufacturer was expected to include additional cold-weather operating guidance in flight manuals, Williams said.

“With more than a thousand of these aircraft in service worldwide, investigators will be looking closely at whether pilots had adequate warning about how this jet performs in severe winter conditions,” Williams said. “If stronger cold-weather guidance had been included in the manuals, this tragedy might have been preventable.”

Federal investigators continue to examine pilot actions, weather conditions, and aircraft performance as part of the ongoing investigation.

In addition to his practice, Williams is the Past Chair of the American Association for Justice’s Aviation Litigation Section, and he is a member of the Aviation and Space Law Committee of the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section. Mr. Williams is also a member and past president of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association.