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

A NetJets-operated Cessna Citation Latitude crashed on a road short of the airport in Laredo, Texas. [Credit: Textron Aviation]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots of a NetJets Cessna Citation Latitude reported an unusual vibration and humming noise after takeoff, which later disappeared, leading them to decide to continue the flight to the planned destination.
Mid-flight, the aircraft experienced a cascade of failures including low fuel pressure and a generator failure, prompting an emergency declaration and diversion to Laredo, Texas.
Both engines flamed out on final approach to Laredo, causing the jet to crash on a highway, resulting in one fatality and multiple injuries.
Preliminary NTSB findings indicate the right engine's starter generator was missing multiple screws, had a bent shaft, and a fractured cooling fan, becoming a focus of the ongoing investigation.

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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.”