Plane crashes on Texas highway, killing 1 person

By Diego Mendoza, Martin Goillandeau, CNN

(CNN) — A small jet carrying six people crashed on a highway in Laredo, Texas, Tuesday evening, killing one person and injuring at least 5 others, according to authorities.

Video shared by witnesses of the scene showed emergency responders and bystanders assisting those on board to exit the burning aircraft after it crashed on Laredo’s Loop 20, shutting down traffic in both directions.

The plane, a NetJets-operated Cessna Citation Latitude business jet, had 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, according to flight data from FlightRadar24.

Authorities responded to the scene shortly before 10 p.m. local time after receiving a call from a local airport tower after the plane reported mechanical issues, Laredo Police Public Information Officer Jose Baeza told reporters from the scene. The plane lost contact with air traffic controllers before it crashed the highway, hitting a moving vehicle on its descent, he said.

The FlightRadar24 data shows a steady, controlled descent into 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 CNN affiliate KGNS the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure before crashing.

CNN has reached out to Laredo International Airport and NetJets.

Police did not reveal the identities of those on board or the condition of those injured. The victims have been transported to a local hospital, Baeza told CNN.

“Regrettably and tragically there is one deceased involved in this crash,” Baeza told reporters from the scene, without giving further details as the victim’s family is being notified.

It’s unknown if anyone in the vehicle was injured. Five officers responding to the crash site were also transported to a local hospital for treatment related to injuries sustained during the rescue operation, Loredo Police Public Information Officer Jose Espinoza told CNN.

Federal agencies, including the National Transportation Security Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, have been notified and officers with the Federal Bureau of Investigation are already on-site, Baeza said.

CNN has reached out to the NTSB, FAA and FBI for more information.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire
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