A small NetJets-operated Cessna Citation Latitude crashed on Laredo’s Loop 20 highway Tuesday night, killing at least one person and sending the other passengers to a hospital. Bystanders rushed in to help as firefighters and responders worked to free people f
The moment the jet hit the highway, it wasn’t just emergency lights that flickered through the dark outside Laredo—it was people. Bystanders rushed toward a fiery wreckage on Loop 20, jumping in to help emergency services pull passengers out.
One person was killed after the plane crashed on Laredo’s Loop 20 highway, shutting down traffic in both directions and strewing debris across multiple lanes. The other passengers were transported to a hospital for treatment, Laredo Police Public Information Officer Jose Baeza told reporters.
A witness video shared from the scene showed emergency responders trying to crack open the plane’s windshield as authorities and bystanders assisted people out of the burning aircraft. Some were seen walking away after escaping the aircraft.
The plane was a NetJets-operated Cessna Citation Latitude business jet. Flight data from FlightRadar24 shows it departed San José del Cabo, Mexico, at around 6:18 p.m. local time and was bound for Austin, Texas, before diverting toward Laredo along the US-Mexico border.
Authorities responded shortly before 10 p.m. local time after receiving a call from the local airport tower. Baeza said the call came after the plane reported mechanical issues. He said the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers before the crash. and that it hit a moving vehicle on its descent.
FlightRadar24 data indicates the jet made a steady, controlled descent toward Laredo International Airport until the signal cut out at around 600 feet—roughly two and a half miles short of the runway—at about 9:58 p.m. local time.
Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez also told a local outlet, KGNS, that the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure before crashing.
Police have not revealed the identities of the six people on board, nor have they disclosed how many were injured or their conditions. Baeza said, “Regrettably and tragically there is one deceased involved in this crash,” adding no further details because the victim’s family is being notified.
Espinoza said five officers responding to the crash site were also transported to a local hospital for treatment related to injuries sustained during the rescue operation.
It is unknown whether anyone in the vehicle struck by the plane was injured.
Federal agencies are now involved. Baeza said the National Transportation Security Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have been notified, and Federal Bureau of Investigation officers are already on-site. MISRYOUM has also requested more information from the NTSB, FAA and FBI.
The scene remains closed to traffic as investigators sort through what happened during the final minutes—when the plane reported mechanical issues. lost contact. and crashed onto Loop 20. For passengers. rescue came from both official responders and quick-moving bystanders. pulling people from a wreckage that was still burning when the first attempts to free them began.
Laredo Loop 20 small plane crash NetJets Cessna Citation Latitude bystanders rescue NTSB FAA FBI