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'Unusual vibration' felt before plane crash that killed Austin tech leader Joshua Baer, NTSB says
KUT 90.5 | By Gabriel Velasquez Neira
Published July 10, 2026 at 3:23 PM CDT
Updated July 10, 2026 at 6:14 PM CDT
Lorianne Willett
/
KUT News
Joshua Baer was a longtime leader in the Austin tech community. His dog, Stormy — often seen with Baer at events like the KUT Festival in May — also died following the plane crash.
New details have emerged about the June 16 plane crash in Laredo that killed Austin tech entrepreneur Joshua Baer.
A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board details how pilots noticed early in the flight that there was an “unusual vibration."
"It sounds like a fan is on ... you can feel it in the dashboard," a pilot said.
The pilots contacted NetJets, which co-owns the plane, and noted that the humming noise had gone away. The instruments on the plane then indicated that it was caused by a cooling fan.
The crew continued speaking with a maintenance controller and the flight operations duty manager, and it was decided that the flight could safely proceed to the destination in Austin.
Once the plane was approaching the U.S.-Mexico border, the pilots received another message indicating low fuel pressure in the right engine. Within minutes, three more messages displayed, including a message indicating low fuel, and the pilots prepared for an emergency landing.
The plane received permission to land in Laredo, but as they approached, both engineslost power. A pilot then asked for possible fields to land in nearby before ultimately crashing on a highway.
Doorbell cameras showed fire flaring up around the plane as it was approaching the road, the report said.
Pilot suffered serious injuries
report-cen26fa228-203191-7-10-2026-3-20-48-pm.pdf
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Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5 CEN26FA228
This information is preliminary and subject to change.
Aviation Investigation Preliminary Report
Location: Laredo, TX Accident Number: CEN26FA228
Date & Time: June 16, 2026, 22:00 Local Registration: N523QS
Aircraft: TEXTRON AVIATION INC 680A Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious, 5
Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91 subpart k: Fractional
On June 16, 2026, at 2200 central daylight time, a Textron Aviation Inc 680A, N523QS,
sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident in Laredo, Texas. The
captain received serious injuries, the first officer received minor injuries, one passenger was
fatally injured, and three passengers received minor injuries. One person in a moving vehicle
received minor injuries. The airplane was operated by NetJets as a Title 14 Code of Federal
Regulations Part 91 Subpart K fractional ownership flight.
According to the flight crew, early in the flight, they noticed an unusual vibration, which they
had not experienced before. They contacted the NetJets Flight Operations Duty Manager
(FODM) via telephone and during that initial conversation, the flight crew described the
vibration as “a low frequency vibration and a humming noise... it sounds like a fan is on... you
can feel it in the dashboard...it was on steady during the climb, but it is gone now.” NetJets
maintenance control then joined the call, and the captain provided an update that the vibration
“was intermittent for a while and now it is gone.” During the discussion, the flight crew received
a Crew Alerting System (CAS) message related to the Air Data Computer (ADC), “BOTH ON
ADC 1.” The maintenance controller suggested that the vibration might be caused by an
avionics cooling fan in the forward instrument panel. This idea was reinforced by the CAS
message. The captain reported that at that time “there are no indications anywhere of anything
abnormal on the synopsis pages... the vibration is cycling on and off.” The captain asked, “I
don’t know if that’s related? Could that be ADC related to the fan?”
The crew accomplished the Quick Reference Handbook procedure for the CAS message, and
the message cleared. After further discussion with the maintenance controller and FODM, it
was determined that the flight could safely proceed to its planned destination and write-up the
vibration once the flight was completed.
As the airplane approached the US and Mexico border, the flight crew received a “FUEL BST
PUMP ON R” CAS message, which indicated that the right fuel system had low fuel pressure.
Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5 CEN26FA228
This information is preliminary and subject to change.
The message was followed a few seconds later by a “FUEL PRESS LOW R” CAS message,
which indicated that the right fuel system pressure was low. About three minutes later, two
more CAS messages were displayed: “ELEC TRU FAIL R” and “WSHLD HEAT INOP R”, and
about 11 minutes later, a “FUEL LEVEL LOW R” message was displayed.
The flight crew declared an emergency with the Monterrey Area Control Center (ACC) and
Monterrey ACC handed the flight off to Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). On
the initial check-in with the Houston ARTCC, the flight crew reported a generator failure and
“multiple other failures” issues including “fuel level low”. They requested to divert to Laredo
International Airport (LRD), Laredo, Texas, and were cleared to LRD via radar vectors. When
asked if they were ready for the approach or if they needed time to execute checklists, the
flight crew stated that they were ready and requested a visual approach to a 5-mile final for
runway 36L.
Due to the airplane’s high altitude, the Houston ARTCC vectored the airplane with a right 270-
degree turn to establish it on a 14-mile final to runway 36L. While the airplane was on final
approach, the right engine flamed out, followed a few seconds later by the left engine. The first
officer, who was the pilot monitoring, asked the LRD air traffic control tower (ATCT); “is there a
field off to our right?” The LRD ATCT replied “negative, there are no other fields next to you.”
The first officer asked, “are there any open pastures or fields off to our right?” LRD ATCT
replied, “It’s just going to be the main highway, and that’s just about it.”
The flight crew maneuvered the airplane to touch down on the northbound lanes of the Bob
Bullock Loop, about one mile southeast of the airport. Videos from several security cameras
and doorbell cameras were obtained, which showed two instances of fire flaring up around the
airplane as it was on final approach. As the airplane touched down in the northbound lanes of
traffic, it sheared off several light poles, struck a vehicle, and came to rest straddling the right- hand edge of an overpass. The airplane fuselage rolled onto its right side with the rear cabin
emergency exit on the ground and the main cabin door exit oriented upward. The main cabin
door was eventually opened, and five occupants egressed via this exit. The airplane sustained
substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings.
The airplane wreckage was initially recovered to a secure hangar at LRD for preliminary
examination. During the examination, flight control continuity was established for the ailerons,
elevator, and rudder. Further examination revealed that the right engine fuel pressure switch
(part number 9914488-2) was found separated from the fuel tube assembly (part number
6956100-118) and the fuel tube assembly was fractured adjacent to the weld joint for the
attachment tube leading to the fuel pressure switch as shown in Figure 1. Multiple P-clamps
on the fuel tube assembly were also found fractured as shown in Figure 2.
Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5 CEN26FA228
This information is preliminary and subject to change.
Figure 1. Right engine fuel tube assembly and fuel pressure switch
Figure 2. Fractured fuel tube assembly P-clamps
The right engine starter generator (part number 9914685-1; model number 23291-005; serial
number P3825) was manufactured by Safran in October 2023. The starter generator was
missing multiple screws from the outer housing as shown in Figure 3. The starter generator
had 57.2 hours of time remaining since its last overhaul that was performed on April 25, 2025;
the overhaul interval was 1,200 hours.
Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5 CEN26FA228
This information is preliminary and subject to change.
Figure 3. Right engine starter generator and missing screws (red circles)
Upon removal of the starter generator, the starter generator shaft was found bent, the cooling
fan was fractured, and multiple cooling fan blades and ball bearings were found when the
generator was removed. The cooling fan shroud also contained circumferential scoring marks.
The fuel tube assembly, starter generator, and multiple components were sent to the NTSB
Materials Laboratory in Washington, DC, for further examination.
The airplane was equipped with a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder. Both units
were sent to the NTSB Recorders Laboratory in Washington, DC, for further examination and
download of pertinent data.
The airplane wreckage was relocated to a secure facility for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: TEXTRON AVIATION INC Registration: N523QS
Model/Series: 680A Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator: NetJets Aviation, Inc Operating Certificate(s)
Held:
Fractional ownership
Operator Designator Code:
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The plane, which departed from Los Cabos, Mexico, was over 40,000 feet in the air before descending over the span of 30 minutes. It ultimately crashed on Loop 20, several miles short of the airport.
Baer’s dog, Stormy, also died following the crash, according to the Laredo Police Department. The main pilot suffered serious injuries while the co-pilot and three other passengers received minor injuries.
The driver of a car that was hit by the plane on the highway also received minor injuries, according to the report.
NetJets says report does not contain a 'probable cause' of the crash
The plane was operated by NetJets, a company that offers fractional aircraft ownership. According to the company’s website, it takes various safety precautions for its clients.
“Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this heartbreaking tragedy," the company said in a statement following the release of the NTSB's report. "The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report does not contain findings, conclusions, or a determination of probable cause."
NetJets said it would not speculate or comment about the ongoing investigation.
The company prides itself on its safety record. “Through our global network of technicians and specialists, all NetJets’ aircraft are maintained well above the federal definition of airworthy status,” the NetJets website said.
Pilots for the company are also "mandated" to fly only one aircraft type and undergo an Advanced Qualification Program, according to the website.
The company offers 12 aircraft types. The Cessna Citation Latitude, the plane Baer was flying in before it crashed, is a mid-sized jet, according to the company. The plane had taken multiple trips that day, including Scottsdale, Arizona; Ensenada, Mexico; and Los Cabos, before crashing in Laredo, according to data from FlightAware.
The airplane had a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder, according to the report. Both were sent to Washington D.C. for further inspection.
A final report will be released in approximately one year once the investigation is completed, NTSB investigator Mitchell Gallo said.
Newly obtained 911 calls reveal moments after crash
Calls to 911 immediately flooded into Laredo’s emergency call center after the crash. From 9:59 p.m. to 10:10 p.m., there were at least 18 calls. KUT News requested the audio from the Laredo Police Department. Some of the audio was redacted.
“I thought it was a comet,” said a distressed 911 caller in Spanish. "I saw that it completely crashed against the cars, against everyone.”
Another woman called 911, crying, saying the plane flew right over her car.
The plane crashed against a Ford F-150 on the highway, according to the 911 audio. An Apple crash detection feature alerted a 911 operator. For over five minutes, the operator tried to speak with the owner of the device as cries for help and shouting could be heard in the background.
“Come on!” said one of the people responding to the crash.
“Help!"
“Get out, get out, get out.”
“Come in here."
Later, on another 911 call, the driver was able to speak with emergency services once he was out.
“The wing of the plane is under my truck,” he said.
This story has been updated.
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Tags
Transportation KUT Laredo Federal Aviation Administration NTSB
I report on time-sensitive, important news that affects Austin and its surrounding regions. Breaking news is often challenged by a vacuum of information due to its timely nature. However, I often try focusing on the “why” and “how” of stories and digging past the surface-level facts. If you have any tips you can email me at gabriel@kut.org.
See stories by Gabriel Velasquez Neira
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