Twenty-one people lost their lives in three separate aircraft crashes across the United States in a matter of days, with accidents occurring in Missouri, California, and Texas. Federal investigators are now working to determine what caused each of the deadly incidents.
A business jet carrying six people went down on a Texas highway late Tuesday night, killing one person. Eight people aboard a B-52 military bomber died Monday when the aircraft crashed during takeoff at a California air force base. And on Sunday, a small plane carrying skydivers crashed in Missouri, killing all 12 people on board.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating all three crashes, and officials say it is too early to draw conclusions about what went wrong in any of them.
Texas: Business Jet Crashes on Laredo Highway
A Cessna Citation Latitude twin jet was flying from Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico to Austin, Texas, when it came down on a highway near Laredo International Airport at approximately 10 p.m. local time Tuesday.
Dashcam video shared on social media captured the jet skidding down the roadway, striking a light pole before coming to a stop. Witnesses described the scene as surreal, comparing it to something out of a movie, as bystanders rushed from their vehicles in a desperate effort to free the six occupants while the plane burned.
Two people approached the burning aircraft armed with a sledgehammer and a shovel, using them to break through the cockpit glass and attempt to pry open the door. With the jet tipped on its side and nearly split in two, several passengers managed to climb out on their own. A firefighter used a small ladder to reach and rescue the final passenger, who appeared to be unconscious at the time. One person on the plane did not survive, and five police officers were taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation.
Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez told a local television station that the plane appeared to have suffered a mechanical failure, though he offered no further details. NTSB investigators arrived at the scene on Wednesday.
California: B-52 Bomber Crashes at Edwards Air Force Base
A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress crashed Monday while taking off at Edwards Air Force Base, bursting into flames on the runway and killing all eight people on board. The aircraft had barely left the ground before it slammed back down approximately halfway along the runway.
Base officials said the bomber was participating in a test mission connected to a program designed to keep the aging aircraft — which first entered service in 1955 — operational for decades into the future. Both military personnel and government contractors were on board. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing confirmed that two of its employees were among those killed.
Aviation safety experts said early impressions pointed to a possible failure in either the flight controls or the engines, though investigators have not yet identified an official cause.
Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412 Test Wing, said the aircraft was supporting a radar modernization program. In 2025, Boeing had sent a B-52 to Edwards equipped with an upgraded radar system intended to keep the bomber flying through at least 2050. The B-52 has seen service in U.S. military conflicts ranging from Vietnam to Iran.
Authorities have not publicly released the names of those who died. However, Lauren Smith spoke to local television reporters and identified her husband, Jeromy Smith, a flight test engineer with the U.S. Department of Defense, as one of the victims.
Missouri: Skydiving Plane Crashes Near Butler
A pilot and 11 skydivers died Sunday when a single-engine Pacific Aerospace 750XL crashed shortly after departing a small airport in Butler, Missouri, located roughly 65 miles south of Kansas City.
The plane had reached only about 100 feet in altitude and appeared to be losing power when it made a sharp left turn and went down on what witnesses described as a clear, sunny day. Acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director Dennis Jacobs said it appeared the pilot was trying to clear a nearby highway and bring the plane down for a landing, but the aircraft stalled, nosedived, and caught fire in a field.
The passengers were described by family and friends as passionate and experienced skydivers. Among those killed was a skydiving instructor with more than 6,800 jumps to his name, a drummer from Kansas City-area bands who credited the sport with helping him achieve sobriety, and a grandfather who was jumping in honor of his sister who had died from cancer.
The turboprop, built in 2010, was operated by Skydive Kansas City out of Butler Memorial Airport, where flight tracking data from FlightRadar24.com shows it had arrived for the first time on June 5. Prior to that, the plane had been operating in Tennessee and Wisconsin for weeks at a time.
The NTSB said its investigation will examine all contributing factors, including the pilot’s experience with this specific aircraft model and any mechanical or structural issues with the plane itself.
