Overview
- A NetJets-operated Cessna Citation Latitude carrying six people diverted toward Laredo and crashed onto Loop 20 shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday, striking a vehicle and erupting in flames.
- One person was confirmed dead and five people from the aircraft were taken to a hospital, while five responding officers were treated for smoke inhalation.
- Witness and dashcam video show motorists and first responders using sledgehammers, shovels and ladders to break cockpit glass and pull survivors from the burning jet before firefighters extinguished the blaze.
- Pilots radioed the tower reporting mechanical trouble, including reports of low fuel and electrical problems, then lost contact during the final descent with flight-tracking data cutting out around 600 feet.
- The NTSB will lead the federal probe with FAA and FBI support, NetJets is cooperating and local officials have closed Loop 20 to collect evidence and to gather public video for the investigation.