Pilots searched for landing sites before Texas highway crash, NTSB says
Pilots of a small business jet were searching for any nearby fields or flat areas to land as both engines flamed out before their aircraft crashed on a Texas highway in June, killing one person and injuring six, according to a National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report released Friday.
The NTSB’s preliminary report documents the sequence of mechanical warnings, pilot decisions, and engine failures that preceded the crash of a NetJets-operated business jet on a Texas highway near Laredo. The report detailed an unusual vibration reported early in the flight, low-fuel-pressure warnings, and a generator failure as the plane approached the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to the report, the flight crew noticed an “unusual vibration” early in the flight that they had not experienced before. The plane had departed the Mexican resort city of San José del Cabo bound for Austin. After discussing the vibration with staff at NetJets, the company that operated the jet, the crew determined they could proceed to their final destination, the report said.
As the jet approached the U.S.-Mexico border, the flight crew received a message indicating that the right fuel system had low fuel pressure, followed by additional messages, and the crew declared an emergency, according to the NTSB. The flight crew then reported a generator failure and “multiple other failures” to Houston air traffic controllers — including “fuel level low” — and requested to divert to Laredo International Airport, the report said.
The jet was cleared for the diversion, but while on its final approach, the right engine “flamed out,” followed by the left engine moments later, the NTSB said. Pilots had asked air traffic controllers whether any fields or other flat areas were available for an emergency landing and were told there were none nearby, according to the preliminary report.