Bystanders and first responders rushed toward the burning aircraft after it came down near Laredo International Airport.
LAREDO, TX — A business jet carrying six people crashed on a highway in Laredo late Tuesday, killing one person and sending drivers and emergency crews toward the burning wreckage as smoke filled the road near the Texas-Mexico border.
The crash turned a busy stretch of Loop 20 into a rescue scene shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities said the aircraft came down near Laredo International Airport, caught fire and left parts of the jet scattered across the highway area. Five people survived and were taken for medical care. Officials had not publicly identified the person who died by Wednesday morning, and investigators had not announced a final cause.
The plane was a Cessna Citation Latitude, a twin-engine business jet operated by NetJets, according to flight and company information. It had departed Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico at 6:19 p.m. and was bound for Austin before diverting toward Laredo. Laredo police investigator Jose Baeza said the aircraft crashed on Loop 20 shortly after 10 p.m. near the airport. Video from the scene showed the jet moving across the highway, striking a light pole and coming to rest on its side. Flames and heavy smoke rose from the wreckage as people stopped their vehicles and ran toward the plane. “It looked like part of a movie. I was in shock,” said Zayra Garza, who recorded part of the rescue after coming upon the crash while driving coworkers home.
Witness video showed the aircraft nearly cut apart, with its tail separated from the fuselage and lying mostly intact on a lower road below the rescue area. Several people tried to break cockpit glass and open the aircraft door as fire burned along the wreckage. Two people ran up with a sledgehammer and a shovel and used the tools to strike the cockpit window and prop the door open. Garza said she saw someone inside the aircraft trying to break out before bystanders reached the plane from the outside. She said three people who appeared to be teenagers left the aircraft, followed by someone who appeared to be a pilot. Another crew member tried to pull out a person who appeared unconscious. Firefighters later used a ladder and hose as they climbed into the aircraft and worked to remove the remaining passenger.
No injuries on the ground were immediately reported, though local officials said the jet struck a vehicle and that the driver was in stable condition. Five police officers were taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation after helping near the burning plane. Video from the scene showed officers and rescuers coughing and stepping back from the open aircraft door as smoke poured out. Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño offered condolences to those affected and praised emergency workers for entering a dangerous scene. He urged the public to allow investigators time to complete their work and said the focus should remain on the victims, their families and the emergency response.
The crash happened in a border city where major roads, freight traffic and airport operations run close together. Loop 20, also known locally as Bob Bullock Loop, is a key roadway on Laredo’s east side and runs near Laredo International Airport. The airport serves passenger, cargo, private and government aviation traffic in a region shaped by cross-border trade. The jet came down not far from airport property after what the airport director described to a local television station as a mechanical failure. Officials did not provide details about the failure, and that account had not been adopted as a final finding by federal investigators.
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to lead the crash investigation, with federal and local agencies assisting. Investigators typically examine flight data, maintenance records, air traffic communications, weather, wreckage marks, engine condition and witness video before reaching conclusions. The Federal Aviation Administration also investigates aviation crashes and helps document aircraft information, pilot records and operating conditions. Authorities had not said Wednesday whether the person who died was aboard the plane or on the ground. Identities of those involved were being withheld pending family notifications. Loop 20 was expected to remain affected while crews secured the wreckage and investigators documented the scene.
NetJets said the crash involved one of its aircraft and that it was working with authorities. The company, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, sells shared ownership and private jet services. The Cessna Citation Latitude is commonly used for business travel and can carry a small group of passengers and crew. The flight path from Los Cabos to Austin would normally cross northern Mexico and South Texas before reaching Central Texas. Instead, the aircraft diverted to Laredo, about 140 miles southwest of San Antonio. Officials had not released the aircraft’s tail number in local briefings by Wednesday morning, and they had not said whether the plane issued a distress call before impact.
The crash followed several recent fatal aviation accidents in the United States, adding to public attention on air safety. Federal investigators handle each crash separately and do not treat timing alone as evidence of a shared cause. In Laredo, the strongest evidence available early Wednesday came from witness videos, emergency radio traffic and the wreckage field along the highway. Garza said the fire was her biggest fear as people continued moving close to the plane. “What was worrying me was the fire,” she said. “I was concerned that it could have just exploded at any time.”
By Wednesday, the crash site remained an active investigation scene, with one death confirmed, five aircraft occupants surviving and several first responders treated for smoke inhalation. The next major milestone is the release of preliminary findings from federal investigators, which could take days or weeks.
Author note: Last updated June 17, 2026.