An emergency responder stands near the wreckage of a private aircraft on Loop 20 near the Clark Boulevard exit in Laredo, Texas, on June 16, 2026. Authorities said the aircraft was carrying six people when it crashed, killing Austin tech entrepreneur Joshua Baer.
Jose De La Rosa/Laredo Morning Times
The private jet that crash-landed on a Laredo highway last month, killing Austin tech entrepreneur Joshua Baer and injuring six others, had problems with its fuel system before suffering dual-engine failure as it approached the airport, according to a new federal report released Thursday.
Although the report does not list a probable cause for the crash, which involved a Cessna Citation Latitude operated by NetJets, National Transportation Safety Board investigators found damaged fuel system and engine components in the recovered wreckage. Those components were sent to an National Transportation Safety Board laboratory for further examination, according to the preliminary investigation report.
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The crash occurred around 10 p.m. June 16 on Loop 20 near Clark Boulevard on the east side of the city. The crash shut down highway traffic for nearly 24 hours while investigators worked the scene and crews cleared the wreckage.
The flight took off at 6:19 p.m. local time from Los Cabos International Airport in the Mexican city of San José del Cabo, which sits on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, NTSB investigators previously confirmed. Flight plans show the aircraft was bound for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Before the crash, however, the crew attempted to divert to Laredo International Airport, according to FlightAware tracking data.
Early in the flight, the pilots noticed an unusual vibration in the instrument panel and called NetJets operations to talk through the problem with maintenance. The crew described the vibration as “a low frequency vibration and a humming noise … like a fan is on,” according to the report, and said it went away after the flight’s initial climb.
Emergency responders work around the wreckage of a private aircraft on Loop 20 near the Clark Boulevard exit in Laredo, Texas, on June 16, 2026. Authorities said the aircraft was carrying six people when it crashed, killing Austin tech entrepreneur Joshua Baer.
Jose De La Rosa/Laredo Morning Times
The plane displayed a warning message related to the onboard computer, and the maintenance controller suggested the noise might be coming from a fan used to cool the plane’s electronics, the report says. The pilots completed a checklist and the warning message went away, so NetJets maintenance and operations cleared the flight to continue to Austin.
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A while later, the problems escalated, the crew told investigators. The pilots received a series of warning lights indicating numerous failures, including electrical issues and low fuel pressure to the right engine. Eleven minutes later, the crew got a low fuel message, the report notes.
The pilots declared an emergency with air traffic controllers in Monterrey, Nuevo León, who handed the flight off to the Houston Center, according to the report. Houston controllers cleared the flight to divert to Laredo and instructed the pilots to make a 270-degree right turn to lose altitude.
As the plane made its final approach into Laredo above Loop 20, the right engine flamed out, followed by the left engine a few seconds later, the report says. The first officer asked the control tower, “Are there any open pastures or fields off to our right?” The tower responded, “It’s just going to be the main highway, and that’s just about it.”
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The crew then maneuvered the plane to touch down on the loop about a mile southeast of the airport, according to the report. The plane took out poles and crashed into a vehicle before rolling onto its side, catching fire and coming to rest hanging over the right edge of an overpass.
Baer was killed in the crash. Five others escaped. The captain suffered serious injuries, and the other four on board had minor injuries. A person in the vehicle also reported minor injuries.
NetJets is an Ohio-based subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway that sells fractional ownership in private jets. The crash was the first fatal accident for NetJets, which has said it is cooperating with the investigation.
Capital Factory CEO and founder Joshua Baer is seen at Port San Antonio in 2022. He died in a plane crash on June 16.
San Antonio Express-News file photo
Baer left mark on Austin tech scene
Baer, 50, founded Capital Factory in 2009, and it has since expanded its operations across Texas. The investment firm and business accelerator was one of the first to back humanoid robotics maker Apptronik and has funded companies such as Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, Aalo Atomics, Colossal Biosciences and Creative 3D Technologies.
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It also helped companies like defense tech firm Saronic Technologies and Neuralink competitor Paradromics launch.
Those outside of the tech world knew who Baer was, Austin lawyer Adam Loewy said, because he was the industry’s biggest cheerleader.
“I really don’t think there’s anyone who’s ever been quite like him in that regard,” Loewy said. “He just was someone who was always trying to sell the tech community. He always was very well known, and he was just very optimistic about it, always.”
Baer moved to Austin in 1999 and is remembered as one of the most prominent champions of the city’s tech boom. He co-taught the Longhorn Startup Seminar and Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, mentoring student entrepreneurs. He also served as an entrepreneur-in-residence for the Department of Computer Science.
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He was also known for his philanthropic pursuits, donating and volunteering with the Austin Anti-Defamation League and establishing the Baer Family Foundation to support disadvantaged children and inclusive entrepreneurship.
He is survived by his wife, Amy, and their three children.