By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- A privately owned aircraft carrying six people crashed onto Loop 20 in Laredo, Texas, Tuesday night, killing one person and injuring others.
- Five Laredo Police Department officers were treated for smoke inhalation after entering the burning wreckage to help pull survivors out; all were reported in stable condition.
- The crash also struck a vehicle traveling on the loop, whose occupants were hospitalized and survived.
- The roadway was closed in both directions near Saunders Street and Clark Boulevard while crews contained a fuel spill and worked the scene, with closures expected to continue through Wednesday.
- The FBI responded to the scene, and the National Transportation Safety Board was expected to join the investigation; the cause of the crash and the aircraft’s origin remained under investigation.
LAREDO, Texas — A small aircraft carrying six people crashed onto Loop 20 in Laredo Tuesday night, killing one person and injuring several others, according to the Laredo Police Department.
The crash occurred shortly before 10 p.m. near the City Hall Annex building, just before the Clark Boulevard exit. Airport tower personnel had alerted police that the aircraft was experiencing mechanical problems before losing contact with it; police then received reports that it had gone down on the highway.
Five Laredo police officers were treated for smoke inhalation after responding to the wreckage, with some entering the burning aircraft to help remove survivors, according to LPD Public Information Officer Joe Baeza. The officers were taken to a local hospital and were reported in stable condition. Baeza said part of the aircraft also struck a vehicle traveling on the loop; its occupants were hospitalized and survived.
Authorities have not released the identity of the person killed, pending notification of next of kin, and information on the conditions of the surviving aircraft occupants was not immediately available. Baeza described the incident as a serious and tragic event for the city.
Loop 20 was closed in both directions near Saunders Street and Clark Boulevard as crews worked to contain a fuel spill and document the scene, with the closure expected to last through the Wednesday morning commute and possibly into the afternoon. The Laredo Fire Department assisted with firefighting and fuel containment.
The investigation remains active. FBI personnel were on scene, and National Transportation Safety Board officials were expected to join the inquiry. Authorities had not yet confirmed the aircraft’s origin, destination, or make and model as of Tuesday night, and said additional details would be released as they become available.