Aviation Attorney Mike Slack Comments on June 16, 2026 Fatal NetJets Citation Latitude Crash Near Laredo, Texas
Michael L. Slack, Founding and Managing Partner of Slack Davis and a nationally recognized aviation attorney, commented on the late Tuesday, June 16, 2026 crash of a NetJets Cessna Citation Latitude 680A near the Laredo International Airport, which killed one of the six people on board and sent the other occupants to area hospitals. The accident aircraft had diverted to Laredo after an issue developed during the flight from San José del Cabo to Austin, Texas.
“The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators will be focused on the in-flight issue the crew was dealing with when they requested an emergency diversion to Laredo International. Communications between the pilots and air traffic controllers will be especially important in understanding what was taking place before the accident,” said Slack, a licensed pilot, former NASA aerospace engineer, and board-certified aviation attorney.
Slack noted that the aircraft should have been equipped with a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder, which will be among the first items recovered by NTSB investigators. He added, “These recorders will be extremely vital to understanding what provoked the emergency and the final sequence of events before impact.”
Slack noted that the descent included a 270-degree right turn before the aircraft turned northbound and attempted a landing on a highway east of the airport. He commented that turns like this in an emergency are often used by pilots seeking to dissipate altitude and possibly airspeed before trying to land. “This is a very tragic situation, and it is clear that the pilots were doing everything they could to get the aircraft safely on the ground,” he said.
The private jet, registration N523QS, departed San José del Cabo International Airport in Mexico bound for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport before diverting to Laredo International Airport after the crew reported mechanical issues. The aircraft crashed approximately 2.5 miles short of the runway on Loop 20 highway shortly before 10 p.m. local time and erupted in flames. The aircraft also struck a moving vehicle on the highway as it descended. Both pilots and three passengers escaped the wreckage with help from bystanders and law enforcement. The NTSB is leading the investigation with support from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Slack Davis is based in Austin, Texas, and has handled hundreds of aviation accident cases nationally and internationally, including many accidents involving private jets. The firm has litigated or tried accident cases in 36 different states since being founded in 1993.