Plane Crashes into Texas Highway as Drivers Rush into Flames to Save Passengers

A deadly private jet crash turned a Texas highway into a scene of fire, smoke and panic Tuesday night as stunned drivers abandoned their cars and raced toward the wreckage to help pull people from the burning aircraft.

One person was killed after a Cessna Citation Latitude business jet carrying six people crashed onto Loop 20 in Laredo, Texas, shortly after 10 p.m., authorities said. The plane burst into flames after coming down near Laredo International Airport, not far from the Texas-Mexico border.

The crash sent shockwaves through drivers who suddenly found themselves face-to-face with a mangled jet lying on its side across the highway. Witnesses said the aircraft appeared nearly torn apart, with its tail section ripped from the fuselage and left on a lower-level road beneath the crash scene.

Video from the scene showed a desperate rescue effort unfolding in real time. Bystanders rushed from their vehicles as flames burned along the wreckage. Some people tried to smash the cockpit glass from the outside, while others used tools to force open parts of the plane.

Two people reportedly came running toward the aircraft with a sledgehammer and a shovel, striking the cockpit window and trying to help pry open the door as smoke poured from the jet.

“It looked like part of a movie. I was in shock,” witness Zayra Garza said.

Garza, who was driving her co-workers home, began filming as she approached the fiery wreckage. She said she could see someone inside the plane trying to break out through the cockpit window.

Moments later, bystanders began surrounding the plane in a frantic attempt to help.

Garza said her husband jumped out of their vehicle and ran toward the crash. She then saw the plane door open. According to Garza, three people who appeared to be teenagers rushed out, followed by someone who looked like a pilot.

Another crew member appeared to be trying to pull out a person who seemed unconscious, she said.

The smoke quickly became overwhelming. Officers and rescuers who were trying to hold the plane door open were seen darting away from the aircraft and bending over in coughing fits. Five officers were later taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

As flames continued to burn, firefighters moved in. One firefighter climbed a small ladder and entered the aircraft while others sprayed water onto the wreckage. Rescuers could be heard calling for rope as people used rods to help keep the aircraft door propped open.

“What was worrying me was the fire,” Garza said. “I was concerned that it could have just exploded at any time.”

Dashcam video posted online showed the jet barreling down the highway before striking a light pole and coming to a stop. No injuries on the ground were immediately reported.

Authorities have not said whether the person who died was inside the plane or on the ground.

The aircraft had departed from Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico at 6:19 p.m., according to flight tracking data. It crashed as it reached Laredo, about 140 miles southwest of San Antonio.

Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez told local station KGNS that the plane suffered a mechanical failure, though no further details were immediately released.

NetJets confirmed the crash involved one of its aircraft and said it is cooperating with authorities. The company, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, operates private jets for customers who buy fractional ownership.

The Laredo crash marked the third major aviation disaster reported in just three days. On Monday, a B-52 crashed during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California, killing all eight people aboard. A day earlier, 12 people were killed when a plane carrying skydivers crashed in Missouri.

The cause of the Texas crash remains under investigation.