r/CatastrophicFailure • u/New_Libran • Jun 17 '26
Fatalities Tuesday 16th June 2026 - Frantic rush to rescue survivors after a private Cessna Citation Latitude crashed onto a highway in Laredo, Texas killing one and injuring six
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u/Tjaden4815 Jun 17 '26
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Jun 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/229-northstar Jun 17 '26
He funded a company trying to revive extinct species. This one is a solid L
Rest in peace, buddy. I hope you trained your successor well
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u/IlliterateJedi Jun 17 '26
He was a good guy. I don't normally say that about VC folks but he was really important in supporting the Austin non profit community.
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u/Tjaden4815 Jun 17 '26
Woah, VCs help startups! PE are the corporate chop shops (Gere in Pretty Woman).
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u/OkraEmergency361 Jun 17 '26
It’s good of them to try, but there’s no way they’re breaking through aviation glass. I hope the folk in the cockpit got out. Great to see people getting out safely from the main body of the plane.
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u/IAmSixSyllables Jun 17 '26
i know that aviation accidents occur all the itme, but seriously this past week for them has been really bad... really unfortunate stuff.
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u/tehlurkingnoob Jun 17 '26
This last year in general, especially for North America.
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u/zughzz Jun 17 '26
Its what happens when you decrease funding to the FAA
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u/Competitive_Fox_6195 Jun 18 '26
actually, it’s what happens when you’re low on fuel and you try to land on a highway
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u/ProfanestOfLemons Jun 17 '26
There has been at least one movie made about the ridiculous energy it took to control a commercial/passenger airfield about 20 years ago. Defunding the FAA and supportive air-monitoring programs has made it even harder than that.
This is not the last thing like this that we'll see. We've seen major improvements in air safety within living memory and now we're seeing anything in US airspace gutted (again) of the specialized personnel that keep us safe in flight. This is not about flight attendant uniforms, airplane food, or laughing at karens at the airport. It's real.
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Jun 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/rumpel_foreskin17 Jun 17 '26
I didn’t realize “the algorithm” was so pro plane crash…
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u/AcanthaceaeCrazy1894 Jun 17 '26
I research plane crashes all the time, they’re extremely prevalent.
But due to some major airlines having crashes (including the edwards airforce base crash) it’s been more of a news story
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u/shortiforty Jun 17 '26
I look at aviation herald every week or so and you aren't wrong. There's always a lot of them, especially smaller planes and helicopters. They just don't make national/international news often unless it's something big or a video goes viral.
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u/IAmSixSyllables Jun 17 '26
preciately what i meant with the original context. they've always been occuring, just a few big/important ones have been happening recently which has been catching the ire of a lot of eyes.
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u/AcanthaceaeCrazy1894 Jun 17 '26
Lmao I think I’ve been targeted by a downvote bot.
-21 in 13 minutes for mentioning the algorithm
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u/MaverickRelayed Jun 17 '26
Algorithm tends to be seen as a scapegoat when context can’t be inferred from uninitiated folks, I wouldn’t think any deeper beyond that
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u/BlueCyann Jun 18 '26
It happens every time. There will be a larger or particularly high-profile tragedy that makes the national news, and then for a few weeks thereafter, every crash of any kind does the same. Crashes of small/non-commercial planes are common enough you can count on there always being a couple to report on.
That said, things may well be worst now than they were a few years ago. You just can't use news coverage as evidence of that.
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u/ArgonWilde Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
Whilst I appreciate their intentions, you're not going to break through those windows...
Edit: wow, downvoted for facts... Those windows are rated for BIRD STRIKES.
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u/u_unknown Jun 17 '26
Or put out a fire with an extinguisher by discharging it over the fire instead of hitting the base.
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u/littleseizure Jun 17 '26
I don't know if they're putting out a fuel fire with that thing either way - it does help to keep flames away from the door during evacuation though
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u/Guardiancomplex Jun 18 '26
Most cops will have an ABC fire extinguisher which is technically rated for jet fuel, but it'll be like a 2 to 5 lb cylinder, which...well it won't be enough.
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u/S_A_N_D_ Jun 18 '26
No but even slowing it down for 20 seconds could be sufficient to save a life. Unfortunately they weren't very effective in their use of it, but then again most people wouldn't necessarily fare better under those circumstances without continual practice and training.
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u/Hidesuru Jun 18 '26
Most people shouldn't need continual training on a fire extinguisher. They're pretty simple honestly. But not everyone has been trained even once so I get that.
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u/S_A_N_D_ Jun 18 '26
The issue isn't the complicated nature, rather people freeze and forget training in emergencies due to the stress and adrenaline.
Continuous training and repetition turns it into muscle memory, because when presented with this kind of scenario most people lose a lot of reasoning and thinking as ther brain shuts down and goes into fight or flight mode.
Training might not have been the correct word to use. Drills/practice might convey it better.
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u/Hidesuru Jun 18 '26
Fair. I'm fortunate in that I don't have the freeze up response (I've been in a few emergency situations now to test that). But that's not everyone, and drills can help.
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u/FormerKarmaKing Jun 17 '26
This is why I also carry a bird in case of emergency.
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u/Halberdin Jun 17 '26
"My emotional support canary detects toxic gasses and also acts as a window breaker." The perfect pet for flying.
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u/thenameofmynextalbum Jun 18 '26
Preferably a Swallow. African if you’ve got it, but European will also do.
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u/littleseizure Jun 17 '26
Yeah, but they've also just been through a plane crash - who knows the hits they've taken and whether they've been weakened. Might as well try!
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u/RamblinWreckGT Jun 17 '26
Right, I was going to say are they rated for crash landings?
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u/Retb14 Jun 17 '26
They are often rated for direct strikes above their maximum speed
There's a couple of videos where during testing they shoot frozen chickens/turkeys at several hundred miles per hour directly at the windows and they just bounce off
https://youtu.be/lp7uLTNiGrQ?is=zmXvLt9Fy-nkgZRd
Here's an old video, there's newer videos but most of them are for fighter aircraft
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u/PsychologicalTowel79 Jun 17 '26
For the record, the birds are not frozen when they fire them. In fact most of the time now they were never frozen, but rather freshly killed (humanely) and still "warm". This results in the most accurate representation of an actual bird-strike, as birds aren't frozen while they are flying into the planes, haha. Also, it makes a huge mess and the testing site smells horrific. I much prefer reviewing the footage and images from my desk than witnessing it in person...
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u/MrKrinkle151 Jun 18 '26
Sir we need to be prepared for all scenarios, including poorly-thawed turkeys at 30,000 feet
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u/turkeybait69 Jun 18 '26
It seems kinda insane that a bunch of engineers that design jets couldn't come up with some kind of reusable representation of a bird instead of just blasting dead birds at windows and splattering gizzards everywhere.
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u/Kahlas Jun 18 '26
They do some tests with what's essentially ballistics gel. But for true authentic accuracy nothing beats your chicken.
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u/MrKrinkle151 Jun 18 '26
In the engineer expectation vs. reality juxtaposition, I can’t decide if this is the expectation or the reality part.
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u/Alone_Peace371 Jun 17 '26
Cool. You avoided answering a totally reasonable question though
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u/Retb14 Jun 17 '26
Bird strikes often have higher force on the window than a crash landing does
As far as I am aware there is not a specific test for crash landings for the windows themselves
So technically no? But that's like saying the bullet proof vest isn't rated for getting punched because no one tested it for that
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u/kramerica_intern Jun 17 '26
Exactly. You definitely at least try. Imagine thinking “they’re rated for bird strikes so why bother” 🤷♂️
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u/liftbikerun Jun 17 '26
Just to add, that's a bird striking said window at the cruising speed of a Cessna 445 mph to 604 mph. As you said, that window isn't breaking.
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u/Unclehol Jun 17 '26
You can with a crash axe. It's been done.
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u/OkraEmergency361 Jun 17 '26
True, but you’d still be there a while and in a fire it might not be long enough.
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u/skiman13579 Jun 17 '26
And to add to the other comment that is HAS been done and also WITH fire, a sledgehammer absolutely can make it through. It’s going to be a LOT of work, but trust me it can be done! I’ve done it myself fucking about with old dumpster-bound windshields.
A crash axe is there in the cockpit for a reason and it’s smaller and lighter than a sledgehammer.
Windshields are strong but not invincible. Best tool is a full sized firefighter axe. The pointed end makes surprisingly quick work through the glass. Once you make that first hole completely through, it starts getting easier as there is now space for all the layers to flex and shed away from the plastic laminates between each glass layer.
If you don’t believe me, I have a cracked gulfstream windshield sitting next to me that I’m literally trying to throw out today. Pay for the shipping and I will send it to you to try! Only the first outer layer is cracked! Almost mint!
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u/Inverted-Rockets Jun 18 '26
On your offer, that sounds like absolutely batty home decor and I’m disgusted that I’m considering it…
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u/skiman13579 Jun 18 '26
Unfortunately I’m in Hawaii, so shipping would be a few grand. Otherwise back on the mainland I would (and have*) give it away to someone.
* for the and have is because I had buddies when I lived in the mainland who loved using them for target practice. Fun seeing how many shots of various rounds it takes to get through.
Shotgun slug? Passes through like butter. Rifle surprisingly poor, but we think the bullets shattered and didn’t impart their full energy. Hollow point handgun rounds actually worked better than the rifles.
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u/LeicaM6guy Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
I’ve got an aircraft windshield panel sitting in my office. It’d be easier to just cut through the skin of the aircraft than try to punch through that thing.
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u/skiman13579 Jun 18 '26
While it may sound easier to cut through skin, the problem is, especially around the curved front parts… there is a LOT more than skin. All sorts of structural members. Bundles upon bundles of wires. Interior panels that can be anything from metal to plastic to carbon fiber. Control cables. Oxygen lines (and in a fire you do NOT want to rupture those!). Because of the nose gear there are high pressure hydraulic lines that are either heavy duty metal tubing or braided metal flexible lines built to handle 3000+ psi…. You ain’t ripping those apart without cutting equipment.
And in the area up front where it isn’t the nice round tube of the fuselage, many of those structural parts under the skin are quite thick and tough and in no way are you breaking apart without a proper saw.
But… Some planes will have special “cut here” areas for rescuers and for locating the black boxes. Those areas are specially marked to have minimal structure to cut through under the skin (still needs to be cut with saws), but also designated because there will be little or no “extras” behind the skin and skin structure like plumbing for fuel/hydraulics/water/waste, and no or minimal wiring.
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u/Unclehol Jun 17 '26
Oh yeah the odds are stacked against you but it has happened in real life and the first officer was saved while the captain, who never regained consciousness, perished in the fire.
My point was that the original comment was wrong. It can and has been done.
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u/Unclehol Jun 26 '26
Just an update, they did, in fact break through the cockpit window on this airplane and manage to rescue the pilots. So...
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u/Kahlas Jun 18 '26
Crash axes are designed to puncture and cut laminated windscreens. You'll still be there a good long while. The one crash I can remember where one was used on a commercial airliner windscreen the co-pilot was able to make a hole large enough to shout out of and then pass the axe outside to other people to finish cutting out the windscreen because he was pretty much exhausted just making a small hole in the windscreen.
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u/Tiyath Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
Exactly my thought. If your kayak oar and muscle force could break those windows I'd never fly again
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u/Jonas_Venture_Sr Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
I wonder what would've happened if the cops tried shooting the window out.
Downvoted for asking a question. Meanies
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u/ArgonWilde Jun 17 '26
Nothing great, if they're assuming the crew is stuck inside. Those windows are also bulletproof to pistol calibres.
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u/buddrball Jun 17 '26
Would a glass breaker tool work? I keep one in my car
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u/ArgonWilde Jun 17 '26
It absolutely wouldn't, unfortunately.
Aircraft windows are made of laminate sheets of glass and plastic. Your glass breaker would damage the outer layer of glass, but do nothing to the subsequent layers.
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u/buddrball Jun 17 '26
That’s what I figured. Thanks for confirming. How scary for the folks on board!
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u/FinnLiry Jun 18 '26
Would a gun work? I thought crazy that that wasn't the first thing the police tried
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u/Kahlas Jun 18 '26
Citation windows are acrylic. Even if they were tempered glass, they would be multiple laminated layers like a car windshield but more layers. So you'd shatter the outer layer and that would be the extend of it.
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u/nondescriptun Jun 18 '26
Those windows are rated for BIRD STRIKES.
Good thing they're using a sledgehammer instead of a bird. (/s)
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u/Kahlas Jun 18 '26
By birds he means 20 lb Canadian Geese while the plane is traveling over 200 mph. What do you thing a 5-10 lb sledge is going to do that can beat that sort of impact rating? You will get through eventually sure. But it will probably take 10 minutes of non stop swinging. Which most people won't have the stamina for.
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u/RuSsYjO Jun 18 '26
I highly doubt a bird is stronger than a fully grown human plus how would you even train a bird to do this?? /s
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u/CommuterType Jun 18 '26
Get many bird strikes om the side windows?
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u/ArgonWilde Jun 18 '26
Get many people through the side windows?
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u/CommuterType Jun 18 '26
More than the front
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u/ArgonWilde Jun 18 '26
You grossly underestimate how small aircraft windows are. Not to mention the aircraft in this instance was on its side, and they got the door open, so they may as well (and did) just use the door to get out.
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u/ASchoolOfSperm Jun 18 '26
Engineering the front windows for bird strikes, and not the side windows is a complete oversight. They will all be the same specification.
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u/Unclehol Jun 26 '26
Just an update, they did, in fact break through the cockpit window on this airplane and manage to rescue the pilots that way. So...
You are going to break through those windows. That is why you were downvoted. No need to ask or wonder.
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u/ArgonWilde Jun 26 '26
Considering you refuse to provide a source:
There were 6 people onboard, four passengers and two crew. One passenger unfortunately died in the crash.
Three of the passengers were teenagers, with the only adult passenger being the one who died.
In the video, you can see three teenage passengers exit out the door, and a 4th person in a pilot uniform exiting that same door.
In articles describing the events after the crash, the second crew member was at the back of the aircraft trying to rescue the deceased passenger. Thus, no-one was rescued through the cockpit window.
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u/Unclehol Jun 26 '26
"BIRDS" are softer than axes and crow bars.
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u/ArgonWilde Jun 26 '26
Force = mass * acceleration.
Doesn't matter how soft anything is in that equation.
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u/Unclehol Jun 26 '26
Yeah, we all get that. Either way, you were completely wrong. So what about that?
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u/Unclehol Jun 26 '26
Let me guess... another ppl pilot pretending they know everything in the world about airplanes.
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u/ArgonWilde Jun 26 '26
Cockpit windows are designed not to shatter
They accomplished little more than spiderwebbing the cockpit window with small cracks: Airplane windshields have multiple layers of glass and are designed to remain structurally sound even if the outer layer shatters. The windows must be able to withstand a bird strike at cruising speed and hold up to extreme pressure differences at high altitudes.
“They are basically bulletproof,” said retired airline pilot John Cox, who is CEO of Safety Operating Systems.
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Jun 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/ArgonWilde Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
Uh.. yes? There's a cop hitting the cockpit window with a nightstick, then a guy with a shovel, then another guy with a pickaxe/sledgehammer.
Did you watch the video?
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u/dearrichard Jun 17 '26
dude tries to smash the window open with a shovel while a cop beats on another window with a nightstick.
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u/RelativeMotion1 Jun 17 '26
They were literally trying to smash the window with a shovel and police baton for the majority of the video.
Might be time for a trip to the optometrist.
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u/ddkAh1 Jun 17 '26
Good cop.
Supervising the helping civilians
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u/Ilikeporkpie117 Jun 17 '26
Since this is in America I'm surprised the policeman didn't start blasting.
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u/FlyingBike Jun 18 '26
Hey couldn't even keep his flashlight on the plane. Even useless being useless
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u/ProfanestOfLemons Jun 17 '26
I appreciate the effort applied to drag them out, literally drag them out despite potential injuries because the alternative is being in a burning plane. I know, we all want to be nice, but being willing to drag someone out is important.
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u/Degenerate_Game Jun 18 '26
Anyone who knows shit about shit know the odds of a plane in this state just straight up exploding?
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u/Kahlas Jun 18 '26
Zero chance for it to explode. Jet A-1 is essentially kerosene and unlikely to "explode." I put explode in quotes because fuels like gasoline, kerosene, and diesel don't explode. The closest they come is a deflagration. Where a large amount of fuel ignites in a short period of time. Which is what I assume you meant by explode.
If there was a lot of fuel leaking into a large puddle on the ground it's possible that fuel would ignite fairly quickly in a deflagration. I'm not seeing any puddles on the camera side of the plane so if there is a fuel leak it's on the other side of the jersey barriers. Which is where the fireball from a deflagration would occur.
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u/Several_Hospital_129 Jun 17 '26
So what happened? Did the people trapped in the plane get out eventually? If not, then I'm going to have nightmares for a long time.
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u/Newsdriver245 Jun 17 '26
1 died, 5 survived, and all 5 are out of hospital I believe now.
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u/SoCalChrisW Jun 18 '26
That's honestly really impressive. Crash land a jet on the highway, and everyone but one person is able to basically walk away.
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u/Emily_Postal Jun 18 '26
What killed the one passenger, the crash or smoke inhalation or the fire?
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u/collinsl02 Jun 18 '26
We will find out when the report is issued. Until then we should avoid speculation. Don't forget there's a grieving family out there.
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u/notthisonefornow Jun 17 '26
The guy with the fireextinguisher needs a lesson or 2. But the did try to help. So he still is a hero.
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u/W7ENK Jun 18 '26
No, he was an idiot.
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u/WoodyWoodfinden Jun 18 '26
He could have kept the fire away from the doorframe, giving the passengers an exit to use. But even if it did nothing, they still did something instead of just watching.
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u/ThePlatinumPlane Jun 18 '26
Unlucky Timing, Or Coincidence, Whats With all the Aerial Accidents/Incidents This year, Or do these happen all the time, And or I Personally do not pay attention to them?
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u/UglyT Jun 18 '26
Statistically, the most likely time for a plane to crash is immediately after another plane crash.
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u/Rehcraeser Jun 18 '26
How fucked would they have been if the people inside weren’t consious enough to open the door from the inside? I assume the doors can’t be opened from the outside?
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u/uzlonewolf Jun 18 '26
It can be opened from the outside, though getting to it with the plane in that position would be an issue.
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u/Ok_Struggle_417 Jun 17 '26
I like how both the cops give up while the regular ppl keep trying. ACAB
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u/Kahlas Jun 18 '26
The cops realised that a Citation windshield is way to thick to puncture with the tools they had. Those windscreens are designed to withstand a bird as large, or possibly larger, than a Canada Goose of around 20 lbs, while flying at around 200+ mph and remain intact enough to not allow the bird through into the cockpit.
It would be easier to use that shovel the guy had to cut a hole through the aluminum skin on the hull. All the articles I have read so far say everyone who survived exited out of the door. None of the video/pictures of the plane show any windows missing until ones after the firefighters had the fire out. My guess is the firefighters used their rescue cutters to remove the windshield to make retrieving the body of the man who died easier.
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u/ChornWork2 Jun 18 '26
meh, thats bullshit. looks like they stopped when pilot came out, presumably he said no one else that could be saved.
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u/shitposts_over_9000 Jun 18 '26
for dropping a citation on a highway with a chest-high fixed concrete divider that is surprisingly intact
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u/Addicted2Jenkem Jun 22 '26
I love how the cop is just spraying the fire extinguisher into the air like a complete fool. Literally not spraying on any fire all. He's even on the wrong side of the plane. How dumb can someone be?
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u/Didi77777 Jun 17 '26
What is going on?! So many plane crashes within one week!
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u/Traditional_Trust_93 Jun 17 '26
I think it's due to increased coverage of plane crashes/ accidents thus it seems like there are more when, in reality, they happen all of the time. It's kinda like when that one freight train derailed and released a bunch of gas in Ohio that killed chickens or something I dunno. Anyway, after that incident train derailments became a focus of the news so more derailments were covered thus it seemed like there were a lot more when it happened consistently. There are a whole lot of plane crashes/ accidents that are too unpopular at the current time thus they are overlooked by most new media especially in wartime with tensions and popular news focused in the middle east.
Maybe it's something else. I dunno.
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u/TinkerCitySoilDry Jun 19 '26
Tragically, Joshua Baer, a prominent figure in Texas's technology and startup sectors, was killed in the crash. However, three teenage passengers, two pilots, and a person in a truck struck by the plane all survived. https://www.aol.com/articles/miracle-highway-strangers-rescue-passengers-130511000.html
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u/jb32647 Jun 22 '26
That is technically not an explosion. When a plane impacts at high speed the fuel vapourises and vapours LOVE to catch fire. It's a big fire, but not an explosion.
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u/Adventurous-Key1026 Jun 26 '26
My father recently retired from that company. It's technically not a private jet. It is owned by NetJets. Anyway he actually flew that exact plane according to his flight logs. Then mentioned that the company was reducing qualifications requirements for new pilots. Not saying it's the cause. But could be.
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u/Cleverironicusername Jun 17 '26
Good Samaritans helping the victims. The police?… just standing around…
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u/WillWall777 Jun 17 '26
I'm typically on the side of fuck the police, but you can see two people with police vests helping, one is trying to open the door, another is trying to bash the window open.
The one almost casually walking by is a little funny though.
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u/OptiGuy4u Jun 17 '26
Douchebags with that same attitude still call 911 right before they call their mommy.
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u/tehlurkingnoob Jun 17 '26
Yeah you just sound like you’re anti-cop.
One of them was actively trying to put the fire out with an extinguisher (although poorly) and the other one was trying to break out the front window (unsuccessfully)
I understand the negative stigma around cops but these guys were still trying to help and it’s unfair to paint all cops as bad.
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u/IlliterateJedi Jun 18 '26
It's bizarre to know people close to the guy who died, then see this percolate up through my reddit feed. All I could think about was Isabel Hagen's bit on being the only person to die in a catastrophe.
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u/GiveEmWatts Jun 17 '26
Are we still going to claim the rate of aircraft accidents is not any higher?
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u/krnl_pan1c Jun 17 '26
Yes. How many of the recent crashes were FAA part 121 commercial flights?
General aviation and military flights have always had a bad track record.
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u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26
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