A small business jet carrying six people crashed onto a major highway in Laredo, Texas, leaving one person dead and several others injured. The aircraft burst into flames upon impact, triggering a dramatic rescue operation involving emergency responders and police officers.
The aircraft, identified as a Cessna Citation Latitude operated by NetJets, had departed from Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico at around 6:19 pm and was en route to Austin when it crashed shortly after 10 pm near Laredo International Airport, close to the Texas-Mexico border, as per the local media reports.
According to local authorities, the aircraft may have suffered a mechanical failure shortly before the crash. The jet came down on Loop 20 highway near the Texas-Mexico border, shearing nearly in half, tipping onto its side and erupting into flames. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft strike a light post before skidding across the roadway.
The crash led to the closure of sections of Loop 20 as emergency personnel secured the area. Investigators from the administration have launched an inquiry into the accident.
Authorities are examining whether a mechanical malfunction contributed to the crash, though the exact cause remains under investigation, according to the local media.
Dramatic Rescue Effort
Dozens of drivers rushed directly towards the blazing wreckage. Witnesses recounted the terror of seeing passengers trapped behind the glass, frantically trying to shatter the cockpit windows from the inside.
Operating entirely on instinct, bystanders grabbed whatever makeshift tools they had in their vehicles.
Videos from the scene showed bystanders using makeshift tools, including a sledgehammer and a shovel, to break windows and force open the aircraft's door. Witnesses reported seeing occupants attempting to smash the cockpit glass from inside the aircraft.
Good Samaritans, alongside first responders, helped several survivors escape the burning fuselage.
Authorities said survivors included three teenagers, the pilot and another crew member.
This was the third major plane crash in three days. On Monday, a B-52 aircraft crashed during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California, killing all eight people on board. A day earlier, 12 people died when a plane carrying skydivers crashed in Missouri.
NetJets said the aircraft involved in the Texas crash belonged to its fleet and that it is cooperating with investigators. The company, owned by Warren Buffett through Berkshire Hathaway, allows customers to buy shares in private jets instead of owning an entire aircraft.
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