A NetJets Cessna Citation Latitude crashed on a Texas highway Tuesday.
The aircraft, registration N523QS, was operating from Los Cabos International to Austin-Bergstrom. It departed at 18:19 local time. The crew reported mechanical issues to the Laredo tower five minutes before impact and diverted towards the airport. The jet came down on the Loop 20 highway about four kilometres south of the runway at around 22:00 local time on 16 June 2026. One of the six occupants died. Five escaped the burning fuselage. Five Laredo police officers were treated for smoke inhalation after assisting in the rescue.
US news outlets named Joshua Baer, founder of the Austin technology investor Capital Factory, as the deceased. NetJets has not issued a public statement identifying the passenger.
The FAA confirmed that the National Transportation Safety Board would lead the investigation, with FAA assistance. A preliminary NTSB report typically follows within weeks. The full factual report takes months.
Aviation International News describes the accident as the first fatal accident at any US Part 91k fractional programme since at least 2006. NetJets operates under Berkshire Hathaway and is the largest fractional carrier worldwide.
The Citation Latitude is a Cessna mid-size jet, FAA-certificated in 2015. NetJets began taking deliveries from Textron Aviation in 2016 and lists the type among its mainstay mid-size platforms. The aircraft shares wing and engine architecture with the Citation Sovereign+ but uses a wider fuselage cross-section. Catalogue range is around 2,700 nautical miles.
Cause has not been determined. Any platform-wide regulatory action on the Latitude fleet would follow once NTSB findings narrow the cause.
Source: Aviation International News, 17 June 2026; AeroTime, 17 June 2026; CNN, 17 June 2026.