A business jet crashed late Tuesday night onto Loop 20 in Laredo, Texas, shortly after taking off from Mexico, killing at least one person and setting off a fire on a busy roadway. Police said the aircraft, carrying six passengers, struck a vehicle on the highway before coming to rest on its side.
Authorities have not yet said whether the fatality was someone on the plane or the driver of the vehicle hit in the crash. Five police officers who responded to the scene were taken for medical treatment after inhaling heavy smoke from the burning aircraft.
The jet was identified as a Cessna Citation Latitude operated by NetJets. Flight-tracking data showed it had departed from Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico and crashed in Laredo, about 225 kilometers southwest of San Antonio, around 10 p.m.
Videos shared on social media showed the aircraft lying on its side after hitting the highway guardrail, with its tail torn away from the main fuselage. NetJets said one of its aircraft was involved and that it is cooperating fully with local and federal authorities. Investigator Jose Baza of the Laredo Police Department said Loop 20 was closed immediately after the crash and would likely remain shut until Wednesday morning for debris removal and scene work. Air-crash investigators are now reviewing flight data and the crew’s final contact with air traffic control to determine why the plane went down moments before reaching its destination.
