NTSB Focuses on Engine Generator in Fatal Laredo Citation Crash

Preliminary investigation of NetJets accident reveals failed right engine starter generator after reports of unusual in-flight vibrations.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, July 13, 2026 at 10:02 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Cessna Citation Latitude [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots of the crashed Cessna Citation Latitude reported an unusual vibration and humming shortly after takeoff, which NetJets maintenance attributed to an avionics cooling fan, and the flight was cleared to continue to its destination.
Later, the aircraft experienced multiple critical system failures, including low fuel pressure and electrical issues, leading the crew to declare an emergency and divert before both engines flamed out on final approach, resulting in a fiery crash landing on a highway.
The accident caused one fatality and multiple injuries, with the preliminary NTSB investigation focusing on the right engine, where the starter generator was found to be missing screws and had internal damage.

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Pilots aboard the Cessna Citation Latitude that crashed in Laredo, Texas, in June reported detecting an unusual vibration in the aircraft shortly after takeoff from Los Cabos, Mexico (MMSD), according to the preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The aircraft, owned by fractional ownership company NetJets, was heading for Austin, Texas, when the flight crew notified the NetJets flight operations duty manager (FODM) about what they described as a “low frequency vibration and a humming noise. It sounds like a fan is on.”