NTSB: NetJets Citation Latitude Ran Out of Fuel Before Texas Highway Landing

A NetJets-operated Cessna Citation Latitude suffered a dual engine flameout on approach to Laredo International Airport after exhausting its usable fuel supply, forcing the crew to make an intentional emergency landing on a Texas highway that killed one person, according to a preliminary report released July 10 by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The aircraft, registration N523QS, was diverting to Laredo from Los Cabos, Mexico, on the evening of June 16, 2026, when crews first noticed unusual vibrations and anomalies with the right-side starter-generator. Those issues cascaded into right-side fuel and electrical warnings, including low fuel level indications. During final approach, low fuel pressure triggered a dual engine flameout, leaving the crew with insufficient altitude and glide distance to reach the runway. The pilots set the jet down on Loop 20 (Bob Bullock Loop), where it struck at least one passenger vehicle. Of the six occupants on board, one passenger was killed, the captain was seriously injured, and four others sustained minor injuries.

Investigators recovered a bent shaft in the right starter-generator, which is undergoing laboratory analysis. The NTSB cautioned that the preliminary report does not establish probable cause and that early speculation attributing the accident solely to crew fuel mismanagement may not reflect the full picture. A final report is expected within approximately one year, pending review of the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. NetJets said it has cooperated with NTSB notification requirements but declined to speculate on the cause of the accident.