A private jet crashed on Tuesday night on a highway in Laredo, Texas, triggering a dramatic operation in which civilians and police acted heroically to rescue the occupants of the aircraft engulfed in flames, according to local authorities.
The plane, a Cessna Citation Latitude operated by NetJets with registration N523QS, had taken off from Los Cabos International Airport in San José del Cabo, Mexico, heading to Austin, Texas.
Shortly before 10:00 PM (local time), the crew reported severe mechanical problems and fuel shortage to the control tower at Laredo International Airport.
After losing contact with air traffic controllers, the aircraft made an emergency landing on Loop 20 highway, about four kilometers from the runway, also colliding with a moving vehicle.
“There were six souls on the plane. Unfortunately and tragically, we must announce that there was one person who did indeed perish in the impact of the aircraft,” stated José Baeza, investigator from the Laredo Police Department.
The Rescue: Civilians and Police as Heroes
The images of the accident showed the aircraft split in two and engulfed in flames on the highway, with drivers stopping their vehicles immediately to run towards the wreckage of the plane.
Several civilians attempted to break the windshield of the cabin to extract the occupants, even as the fire threatened to spread.
Zaira Garza, a witness who recorded the accident, described the scene: “It was something out of a movie.”
According to her account, her husband and other civilians heard survivors banging on windows and doors from the inside, desperately asking to be rescued.
The authorities acknowledged that the citizen response was crucial.
"Thank you very much to those individuals who stopped and assisted the officers to help get these people out of the aircraft," said an authority from Laredo cited by Noticias Telemundo.
Five police officers who responded to the call were also hospitalized for inhaling toxic smoke from aviation fuel, all in stable condition.
The municipality of Laredo announced that it will honor the civilians who assisted in the rescue with the title of "Heroes without Capes."
The victim and the survivors
Of the six people on board, five were able to survive, including at least three minors, and they were taken to local hospitals in stable condition.
The only fatality has been identified as Joshua Baer, 50 years old, founder and CEO of Capital Factory, an accelerator and investor in emerging tech companies based in Austin, Texas.
Bryan Chambers, president of Capital Factory, expressed his sorrow: "Josh was a courageous leader, a brilliant partner, and a dear friend to many of us."
The senator Ted Cruz described Baer as "one of the most important figures in driving innovation and entrepreneurial spirit across the United States."
The research
NetJets, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, confirmed that it was operating the aircraft and deployed crisis response teams and support for the families.
"Our immediate concern is the well-being of our crew members, our passengers, and their families during this time," they stated.
The Loop 20 highway was closed in both directions while the investigation into the incident was underway.
The National Transportation Safety Board took the lead on the investigation, with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the presence of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who will analyze the communications between the pilot and the control tower, the flight records, and the technical conditions of the aircraft.
This accident occurs in a year marked by several aviation incidents in the United States.
One of the most recent incidents was the accident of a B-52 bomber at Edwards Air Force Base that occurred on the same Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of eight crew members.
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