They were heading for Paris, not into history. In the cabin sat Tara Arnold, a driven Houston attorney and mother of two, flying on a jet owned by the law firm she helped build with her husband, Kurt. Alongside her was event planner and longtime Lakewood Church staffer Shawna Collins, excited for the opportunity ahead, and pilot Jacob Hosmer, a respected professional known for his calm confidence and devotion to his family.

Outside, Winter Storm Fern was tearing across Maine. Other pilots were already voicing alarm about the conditions, refusing to depart as ice and snow clung stubbornly to their aircraft. The Bombardier Challenger 600 spent precious minutes at the deicing pad before rolling toward the runway, into a world of swirling white. Moments later, the jet flipped and erupted in flames. Now, investigators sift through wreckage and recordings, while families in Houston and beyond wait in agony, demanding to know why warnings were not enough to save the six souls on board.