One person is dead after a private plane carrying six people crashed onto a Texas highway on Tuesday, with police and passers by rushing to save passengers from the burning aircraft.
The Cessna 680A business jet crashed about 10 p.m. south of Laredo, Texas, a city near the Mexican border, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement early Wednesday. The plane had taken off from San José del Cabo in Mexico and was bound for Austin.
Police in Laredo received a call from the local airport shortly before the plane went down in an area of highway known locally as Loop 20, Laredo Police Department spokesman Jose Baeza said in a statement.
One vehicle was struck by the aircraft, Baeza said, but he declined to provide further details about the identity and condition of the plane’s passengers, citing the early stage of the investigation.
Dash-cam footage shared on social mediashowed the plane going down over the highway and clipping a lamppost before hitting the road. Eyewitness video showed the plane snapped in half, with smoke and flames pouring from the front part of the aircraft, which had tipped onto its side.
Police officers and others can be seen lifting the door of the plane and helping passengers to safety. “Several Samaritans stopped to also lend some assistance,” Baeza said, adding that some of the officers were treated for smoke inhalation.
A business jet with six people on board crashed on a highway in Laredo, Texas, and caught fire Tuesday night, authorities said, killing one person and causing chaos as people left their vehicles to frantically try to smash the cockpit window and free those inside. pic.twitter.com/NxwKuoLo7w
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 17, 2026
Zayra Garza, who was driving her colleagues home when she came across the crash, told the Associated Press the scene looked like “part of a movie.”
“What was worrying me was the fire,” she said. “I was concerned that it could have just exploded at any time.”
Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez told local media outlet KGNS the aircraft had experienced a mechanical failure.
Flight-tracking data shows the twin-jet Cessna Citation Latitude taking off from Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico at 6:19 p.m. local time on Tuesday bound for Austin, before going down near Laredo International Airport, according to FlightAware.
Private jet company NetJets, which operates a fleet of private aircraft, said in a statement that it is “aware of an event involving a NetJets aircraft in Laredo, Texas,” and is working with authorities. The company did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Video shared by the Laredo Police Department after the crash shows firefighters hosing down the plane with foam. Baeza said the area will remain closed to traffic while the flammable jet fuel is removed from the road.
The incident is subject to an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, authorities told The Washington Post on Wednesday. Police are also appealing for witnesses to provide video footage related to the crash.
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