The business jet barreled cockeyed down the dark highway, knocking down one light pole after another, an orange glow of sparks trailing it.
From a distance, Ivan Franco thought it must be a car. But as he approached in his tow truck, he saw it was a plane - broken in half, its fuselage resting on its side, bright fire beginning to rise above. He stopped and rifled through the rescue kit his company keeps in the truck, grabbing a sledgehammer as well as three fire extinguishers, which he handed off to police officers.
“At that moment, you don’t think much about what to do, because I knew the plane could explode since it was on fire,” Franco told The Associated Press in Spanish. “My idea was to try to break the windows because the pilots hadn’t come out yet.”
Franco was one of several motorists who happened across the crash in Laredo , Texas, late Tuesday night and rushed to help - putting their own lives in danger to help those on board escape as smoke filled the cabin.
Passersby helped save lives
Police were also on the scene quickly, and their teamwork with the good Samaritans undoubtedly saved lives, officials said.
PHOTOS: With a sledgehammer and a shovel, volunteers raced to save passengers in Texas plane crash
“The officers and the good Samaritans that went to the scene, our firefighters that responded - I do also want to commend each and every one of them,” Laredo Police Chief Mike Rodriguez said during a news conference Wednesday. He said he asked his staff to track down all the civilians who helped.
The Cessna Citation Latitude twin jet departed Tuesday evening from the Mexican resort city of San José del Cabo and was bound for Austin, Texas, the FAA said in a statement. The plane was operated by NetJets , a company owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway that lets people buy part ownership in private jets. NetJets said in a statement that it was cooperating with authorities.
The crash occurred after its pilots reported mechanical problems while requesting an emergency landing at a nearby airport. The fuselage came to rest across a concrete barrier, while its tail broke off and fell to a lower section of roadway.
One person was killed: Joshua Baer , 50, a leader in Texas’ technology and startup sectors. Three male teenage passengers and two pilots survived, as did a person in a truck struck by the plane as it crashed. Laredo police said one of the survivors, 16, was related to Baer but did not provide more details about him or the other passengers.
Investigators combed through wreckage Wednesday for clues to the cause.
It was the third significant aviation accident in as many days in the U.S. A B-52 crashed Monday during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California and killed all eight people aboard, while on Sunday, 12 people were killed when a plane on a skydiving outing in Missouri crashed.
‘It looked like part of a movie’
Among the motorists who stopped in Laredo was Zayra Garza, an esthetician who was driving her co-workers home when she saw the wreckage. She recorded video as her husband ran to help.
“It looked like part of a movie. I was in shock,” Garza said. Most worrisome was the fire: “I was concerned that it could have just exploded at any time.”
Garza saw people leave their cars to try to smash the cockpit glass. Her video shows the aircraft’s door popping open slightly from inside as a voice cries “Help! Help! Help!” The rescuers strain to lift the door farther open as the three teenagers dart out, followed quickly by one pilot and then by another.
Franco, a 23-year-old from Laredo , frantically swung the sledgehammer through heavy smoke. Others struck at the window with a shovel and tools from their own vehicles.
Cockpit windows are designed not to shatter
They accomplished little more than spiderwebbing the cockpit window with small cracks: Airplane windshields have multiple layers of glass and are designed to remain structurally sound even if the outer layer shatters. The windows must be able to withstand a bird strike at cruising speed and hold up to extreme pressure differences at high altitudes.
“They are basically bulletproof,” said retired airline pilot John Cox, who is CEO of Safety Operating Systems.
Police officers tried to remove the final person inside - Baer - as the smoke grew thicker. Officers doubled over coughing after turning away from the smoke.
Eventually firefighters with oxygen masks were able to get inside.
Firefighters also removed a dog from the plane that was suffering from smoke inhalation. The dog was turned over to animal control and was expected to survive, said Jose Baeza, an investigator with the Laredo Police Department.
Five officers were treated for smoke inhalation; the five people who survived the crash were also released from a hospital.
As the plane crashed on the northbound lanes of the highway, its wing hit a truck traveling southbound. The driver of that vehicle also survived, Baeza said.
There has been…
Read the full article at The Washington Times →📄Source document: Associated Press→5 reports
The Washington TimesIndependentCenter2 days agoA business jet crashed on a highway in Laredo, Texas, during the night. Several bystanders, including Ivan Franco, used tools such as a sledgehammer and fire extinguishers to assist in rescuing passengers from the burning aircraft. Police and firefighters were also present at the scene and worked alongside the volunteers to ensure the safety of those involved.
Bias read (Center): The article focuses on a non-political event—a plane crash and subsequent rescue efforts—without any apparent ideological framing. It reports on the actions of individuals and first responders without taking a stance or using biased language.
ABC News (US)IndependentCenter3 days agoA business jet crashed on a highway in Laredo, Texas, late Tuesday night. Several bystanders, including Ivan Franco, rushed to the scene and helped rescue passengers by breaking windows and using fire extinguishers. Local authorities praised the efforts of the civilians and first responders, stating their collaboration likely saved lives.
Bias read (Center): The article focuses on a non-political event—a plane crash and subsequent rescue efforts—without any partisan language, framing, or emphasis on political figures or issues. It provides a factual account of the incident and quotes officials and witnesses without apparent bias.
Official sources cited
- court Ivan Franco
- government Laredo Police Chief Mike Rodriguez
Breitbart NewsIndependentCenter4 days agoFirst responders and passing motorists rescued five of the six passengers involved in a plane crash on a busy highway in Laredo, Texas. The incident occurred on State Highway Loop 20 around 10:00 p.m., when a Cessna Citation Latitude business jet crashed and caught fire, killing one person. Rescue efforts included breaking the cockpit windows and using tools such as a shovel and sledgehammer to free the survivors. The plane had departed from Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico and was heading to Austin, Texas.
Bias read (Center): The article provides a factual account of a plane crash and the subsequent rescue efforts without any apparent ideological framing or biased language. It focuses on the event itself, the actions taken during the emergency, and the details of the aircraft and flight path. There is no indication of sl
CBS News (US)IndependentCenter4 days agoA business jet carrying six people crashed on a highway in Laredo, Texas, catching fire and killing one person. The incident caused chaos as bystanders attempted to assist the victims by breaking the cockpit window and trying to open the plane's door. Authorities confirmed the plane had experienced mechanical issues and lost communication with the control tower before crash-landing near the Texas-Mexico border. One individual died at the scene, while the remaining five were hospitalized in stable condition.
Bias read (Center): The article provides a factual account of a plane crash without any apparent ideological framing. It focuses on the event itself, the response of witnesses, and the official statements from authorities. There is no indication of biased language, selective sourcing, or omission of key details that偏向s
Official sources cited
- government Jose Baeza, Laredo Police Department Investigator
- government Gilberto Sanchez, Laredo International Airport Director
Fox News (US)IndependentCenter4 days agoA business jet crashed on Loop 20 highway in Laredo, Texas, on Tuesday night, resulting in one death and multiple injuries. The plane, which carried six people, crashed shortly after 10 p.m. and caught fire. A vehicle was struck by the aircraft, but it was unclear whether the deceased individual was inside the plane or on the ground. Five emergency responders were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation. The highway was closed following the incident.
Bias read (Center): The article provides factual details about the crash without apparent ideological framing. It reports on the event neutrally, citing official sources such as the Laredo Police Department and FlightAware. There is no indication of biased language, selective emphasis, or omission of key perspectives.
Official sources cited
- government Laredo Police Department
- organisation FlightAware
United States