Motorists and police aid survivors of Texas jet crash

A Cessna Citation Latitude twin jet crashed on a northbound highway in Laredo, Texas, after the pilots reported mechanical problems and attempted an emergency landing. The aircraft broke in half, its fuselage landing across a concrete barrier and igniting a fire that filled the cabin with smoke.

Motorists who arrived at the scene, including tow-truck driver Ivan Franco and esthetician Zayra Garza, used tools from their vehicles to try to break the cockpit windows and assist the occupants. Franco retrieved a sledgehammer and fire extinguishers from his truck and handed them 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 said.

Police and firefighters arrived quickly, coordinating the rescue effort. Laredo Police Chief Mike Rodriguez praised the combined actions of officers, firefighters and civilians.

"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," Rodriguez said.

One person, Joshua Baer, a Texas technology executive, was killed. Three teenage passengers, two pilots, a truck driver whose vehicle was struck by the jet, and five police officers treated for smoke inhalation survived and were later released from the hospital. Firefighters used oxygen masks to enter the aircraft and also rescued a dog that had been inside.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the flight had originated in San José del Cabo, Mexico, bound for Austin, Texas, and was operated by NetJets, a private-jet fractional-ownership company. Investigators are examining the wreckage for the cause of the crash.

The incident follows two other major U.S. aviation accidents in the same week, including a B-52 test-flight crash in California and a skydiving-plane crash in Missouri.