Your Family’s Worst Night, and What Comes Next
The phone rang, or the doorbell did, or the knock came in person — and everything after that is the blur of a night you will never fully leave. Someone you love was aboard a Cessna Citation business jet operated by NetJets. The plane tried to make it back. It didn’t. The aircraft sheared nearly in half on Loop 20 in Laredo, tipped onto its side, and burned. One person is dead. Five are in hospitals. Five police officers went home with smoke inhalation. Bystanders — an esthetician driving home from work with co-workers — used a sledgehammer and a shovel to break the cockpit window and prop open the fuselage door so the passengers could get out.
You are reading this between phone calls, in a hospital waiting room, at a kitchen table at 2 a.m., or beside a laptop you have not closed in two days. You are not a lawyer. You have never had to call the National Transportation Safety Board. You have never had to read a Federal Aviation Regulation. And right now, the most well-resourced private aviation company in the world — a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway — has a team of professionals working your case. They have been working it since the distress call came in to the Laredo tower. Their playbook is already running.
This page is the answer. It is what we wish someone had handed us the first night. It is the law of Texas, the federal aviation rules that govern the flight, the names of the evidence that is being preserved or lost as you read this, the insurance picture that decides what the case is worth, the playbook the other side is running right now, and the roadmap for how a case like this is actually built. Read it. Then call us — 1-888-ATTY-911 — for a free consultation, in English or in Spanish. There is no fee unless we win.
What Happened on Loop 20 on the Night of June 16, 2026
The aircraft was a Cessna Citation business jet, operated by NetJets Aviation, Inc. It departed the Laredo International Airport (KLRD) bound for Austin with six people aboard — passengers and crew. At approximately 9:58 p.m. local time on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, the Laredo tower received a distress call reporting mechanical issues and low fuel. The aircraft then lost communication with the tower. Within minutes, the plane crash-landed on Loop 20 — State Highway Loop 20, also called the Bob Bullock Loop — the controlled-access state highway beltway that encircles Laredo in Webb County, Texas. The aircraft sheared nearly in half on impact, tipped onto its side, and caught fire. One occupant was pronounced dead at the scene. The other five were transported to local hospitals in stable condition. Five responding officers were treated for smoke inhalation.
The rescue was the work of bystanders who stopped on the highway. An esthetician driving home with co-workers used a sledgehammer and a shovel to break the cockpit window and prop open the fuselage door so the passengers could escape. The passengers have been described as including what appeared to be three teenagers and a pilot — a configuration that is consistent with a NetJets repositioning or charter flight, not a standard commercial airline, and that opens a different set of questions about who was aboard and why.
The NTSB and the FAA have launched an investigation, with the NTSB taking the lead under 49 U.S.C. § 1131 and 49 CFR Part 831. NetJets has confirmed ownership of the aircraft and activated its crisis response team. As of this writing, the family has been contacted by the carrier but has not been given a cause. There will be no cause from NetJets — not for months, maybe not for years. The cause comes from the NTSB, and the NTSB is working under its own clock. The case against the carrier, the manufacturer, and the maintenance chain is built on records the carrier is responsible for keeping, and the time to demand them is now.
Why This Case Is Different From the Headline You Saw on the News
Every aviation accident is investigated. Not every aviation accident has a defendant like this one.
NetJets Aviation, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway — the conglomerate built by Warren Buffett. NetJets is the world’s largest fractional aircraft ownership and private jet charter operator. Its fleet exceeds 750 aircraft, primarily Cessna Citations, Embraer Phenoms, Bombardier Challengers, and Gulfstreams. NetJets holds an Air Carrier Certificate under 14 CFR Part 135, which means it operates as an on-demand air carrier subject to a stricter federal regulatory regime than a private owner-pilot flying under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight from Laredo to Austin, in a Cessna Citation, falls under Part 135 — and that distinction matters, because the duty of care NetJets owes its passengers is defined by the federal aviation regulations, not by the more permissive private-flight rules.
The Berkshire Hathaway connection changes the case in three ways that no other aviation defendant can match. First, the insurance: NetJets’ aviation liability program historically carries combined single limits in the $1 billion+ range, plus hull coverage on individual aircraft. That is not a marketing figure — it is the policy tower that makes a multi-million-dollar recovery actually collectable. Second, the resources: Berkshire Hathaway has effectively unlimited resources to defend a case, which means the carrier will hire the best aviation defense firms in the country and litigate aggressively until liability is clear. Third, the brand: NetJets’ reputation is the product, and a fatal crash is existential for the brand. The company has historically settled significant claims at high value once liability became clear, because the alternative — a public trial about what happened on Loop 20 — is worse for the brand than paying the family fairly.
This was the third major U.S. aviation accident in three days. The national search interest is real, and the families of the people aboard are not the only ones reading the news. Co-workers, friends, classmates of the three teenagers aboard, witnesses who saw the fire on Loop 20, and the five police officers who responded are all searching. They will all find this page. We have written it for the families first.
The NTSB Investigation and Your Right to Be a Party to It
Federal law gives you a seat at the table. Most families do not know it exists.
The National Transportation Safety Board is the lead federal agency for civil aviation accident investigation under 49 U.S.C. § 1131. The investigation is governed by 49 CFR Part 831. The NTSB’s job is not to assign blame or award damages — that is the job of the civil courts. The NTSB’s job is to determine the probable cause of the accident and to issue safety recommendations. But the NTSB’s factual record becomes the spine of every civil case that follows it, and access to that record is controlled by 49 CFR § 831.7, which establishes the Party to the Investigation process.
Under 49 CFR 831.7, a person, government agency, or organization with a direct interest in the investigation can apply to be designated a Party. Parties receive timely notice of investigative activities, are present at fact-finding hearings, can submit proposals for the scope of the investigation, can examine and copy documentary evidence in the NTSB’s possession, and can call witnesses to testify. In a fatal crash like the Loop 20 accident, the family of the decedent and the five injured survivors have direct interest and should be represented as Parties — or, more commonly, a single party representative speaks for the family interest. In a major commercial operator case, the operator itself, the manufacturer, the engine manufacturer, the FAA, the pilots’ union, and the maintenance provider will all be Parties. The family needs to be in that room.
The NTSB typically issues a preliminary report within 7 to 14 days of the accident. The preliminary report is factual, not analytical — it describes what is known at that point, not what caused the crash. The factual report, the probable cause determination, and any safety recommendations can take twelve to twenty-four months, and sometimes longer. Civil litigation does not wait for the NTSB to finish. The discovery process in a Texas wrongful death case moves on its own clock, and the NTSB’s findings become evidence in that litigation as they are issued. The strategic decision is whether to file as a Party to the NTSB investigation, accept the obligation to share your own experts with the NTSB, and receive in return real-time access to the evidence and the witnesses. In almost every fatal aviation case against a well-capitalized operator, the answer is yes.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause of an accident under 49 U.S.C. § 1131. Under 49 CFR 831.7, a party to the investigation includes any person, government agency, or organization with a direct interest that can provide technical expertise or has a direct operational or safety interest in the matter under investigation. A party may be represented by counsel, may submit proposed questions, may attend fact-finding hearings, and may examine documentary evidence.
The Federal Aviation Rules That Governed This Flight
The ‘low fuel’ distress call that the Laredo tower received is not a footnote. It is the case.
NetJets operates this flight under 14 CFR Part 135, the federal regulation governing on-demand air carriers and commuter operations. Part 135 imposes a stricter duty of care than the more permissive Part 91 rules that govern private, non-commercial flights. Two specific federal regulations are central to a fuel-related emergency:
- 14 CFR 135.203 — Weather and fuel requirements. For a flight operating under instrument flight rules (IFR), the pilot must compute fuel to fly to the destination, fly the alternate if one is required, fly for 45 minutes thereafter, and have that fuel on board at the beginning of the takeoff. For a flight operating under visual flight rules (VFR), the rule requires 30 minutes of fuel reserve at normal cruising speed. A ‘low fuel’ report on departure from Laredo — within minutes of takeoff, before the aircraft could have burned the planned reserves — directly implicates the fuel planning, the fuel loading, and the decision to depart with the fuel that was actually on board.
- 14 CFR 91.151 — Fuel requirements for VFR flight. This is the general-aviation fuel reserve rule, which requires 30 minutes of fuel at normal cruising speed for day VFR and 45 minutes for night VFR. Even if the flight had operated under Part 91 rather than Part 135, this rule applies. A fuel-exhaustion or fuel-starvation event — which is what a ‘low fuel’ distress call typically indicates — is rarely a pure mechanical failure. It is usually the result of a chain of decisions: fuel planning, fuel loading, fuel quantity verification, and the go/no-go decision on departure.
Beyond the fuel rules, the federal regulatory framework that governs the case includes 14 CFR Part 43 (maintenance, preventive maintenance, and alterations), 14 CFR Part 145 (the repair stations that performed the maintenance), 14 CFR Part 61 (pilot certificates and qualifications), 14 CFR Part 135.243-247 (the crewmember training and qualification rules that apply specifically to Part 135 operators), and the aircraft’s airworthiness certificate and N-number registration. Each of these creates records that the operator and the manufacturer are required to keep — records that are central to the case, and records that are subject to rolling retention policies and can be purged without a preservation demand.
The federal regulatory backdrop does not preempt Texas tort law. Under 49 U.S.C. § 40101 et seq., the federal government occupies the field of aviation safety regulation, but it does not occupy the field of tort liability for general aviation accidents. Texas wrongful death law, Texas survival action law, Texas comparative negligence, and Texas punitive damages law all apply in full. The Montreal Convention, which imposes treaty-based strict liability with statutory caps on international air carriage, does NOT apply — this was a domestic flight from Laredo to Austin, with no international segment. The case is governed by common-law tort principles, not treaty-based strict liability. That is good for the family. It means the full damages picture is available, not capped by treaty.
The Texas Law That Governs Your Case
Texas gives you three causes of action and two years to file them. Here is what each one means in plain English.
Wrongful death — Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 71.002. This is the claim brought for the benefit of the surviving spouse, children, and parents of the decedent. The damages available include the loss of companionship, advice, counsel, and parental guidance that the survivors would have received had the decedent lived, plus the pecuniary loss (the financial support the decedent would have provided). Texas law does NOT cap these damages in aviation cases — the caps that exist in Texas tort law are confined to medical malpractice and to claims against governmental entities under the Texas Tort Claims Act. The statute of limitations is two years from the date of death. The claim is brought by the personal representative of the decedent’s estate, on behalf of the beneficiaries named in the statute.
Survival action — Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 71.021. This is a separate claim, brought by the personal representative of the estate, for the decedent’s own pre-death damages — the conscious pain and suffering the decedent experienced between the moment of injury and the moment of death, plus the medical and funeral expenses incurred. In a crash like the Loop 20 accident, the survival claim can be substantial: the aircraft crash-landed, the fuselage burned, and the bystander rescue took real time. If the decedent was conscious for any part of that sequence, the pre-death pain and suffering damages are recoverable. The survival action is the family of the decedent’s separate vehicle for the part of the case that belongs to the decedent alone.
Punitive damages — Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Chapter 41. Texas allows punitive damages where the defendant acted with gross negligence, malice, or fraud. The standard of proof is clear and convincing evidence — higher than the preponderance standard that applies to compensatory damages, but lower than the criminal beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard. In an aviation case, punitive damages are typically grounded in operational choices that show a conscious disregard for safety: a fuel planning failure, a known mechanical defect that was not addressed, a dispatch decision that pushed a flight with a known problem, a maintenance failure that was concealed or ignored. The ‘low fuel’ distress call and the loss of communications with the tower are exactly the kind of facts that can support a punitive claim against a commercial operator.
Modified 51% comparative negligence — Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001. Texas follows a modified comparative negligence rule. A plaintiff’s recovery is barred only if the plaintiff’s percentage of responsibility exceeds 50%. In a wrongful death case arising from an aviation accident, comparative fault would typically be assessed against the decedent — but a passenger aboard a commercial aircraft is rarely found comparatively at fault. The pilot and the operator carry the duty. The 51% bar matters more in cases involving private pilots, passengers who interfered with the flight, or passengers who failed to use safety equipment.
The two-year statute of limitations is the deadline. It runs from the date of death, not the date of the crash. A decedent who lingered in the hospital for weeks before passing would have a clock that started at the moment of death. The two years is enough time to do the case right, but it is not so much time that the family can wait. The preservation clock — the actual deadline for the evidence that proves the case — runs in days and weeks, not years. That is the next section.
Who We Can Hold Accountable — Theories of Liability
Aviation cases are won on the theory map, not on the crash. The Loop 20 crash has a defendant for almost every layer of the failure chain.
NetJets Aviation, Inc. — operational negligence. This is the core theory against the operator. The ‘low fuel’ report and the loss of communications with the Laredo tower point to a chain of operational decisions within NetJets’ control: the fuel planning for the flight, the fuel loading at the Laredo FBO, the pre-flight inspection, the dispatch release, and the go/no-go decision on departure. NetJets’ own operations manuals — which are typically more rigorous than the FAR minimums and which the company uses as a marketing point — set the standard of care. Any deviation from those internal standards is evidence. NetJets is also vicariously liable under respondeat superior for the negligence of its pilots, mechanics, and dispatchers acting within the scope of employment, which means the corporate defendant stands behind the individual defendants as a matter of law.
Pilot negligence. The pilot is in some cases the same person whose conduct is imputed to NetJets under respondeat superior, but the pilot is also a separate defendant in his or her own right where individual conduct went beyond the scope of employment or where the pilot’s qualifications, training, fatigue, or impairment are at issue. Pilot flight time, currency, training records, duty and rest records, and toxicology are all discoverable. The NTSB will obtain toxicology as a matter of routine in a fatal accident. Pilot fatigue, inattention, or impairment is a frequent finding in fuel-exhaustion events.
Cessna / Textron Aviation — product liability. Cessna Citations have a generally strong safety record, but component failures do occur, and the NTSB investigation will identify the failed component. If the failure was a fuel system component, an engine component, an avionics component, or an airframe component, Cessna/Textron Aviation faces strict product liability for design defect, manufacturing defect, or failure to warn. Product liability claims survive against manufacturers even where the operator is also negligent. The manufacturer’s service bulletins, airworthiness directives, and design history will all be in the case.
Engine manufacturer (likely Pratt & Whitney Canada or Williams International). If the failure was engine-related — a turbine failure, a fuel control failure, a compressor stall — the engine OEM faces strict product liability under the same theories. Engine OEMs carry their own insurance towers and their own defense teams, and they are experienced in defending these cases.
Maintenance provider — negligent maintenance or repair. If the mechanical issue that triggered the distress call was the result of improper maintenance, a missed inspection, an unairworthy repair, or a deferred maintenance item, the maintenance provider is directly liable. The standard of care is set by 14 CFR Part 145, the manufacturer’s maintenance manual, and the applicable service bulletins. Maintenance logs, work orders, and AOG (aircraft on ground) records are all discoverable, and they are the documents that most often reveal the company’s prior knowledge of a problem.
Laredo International Airport / City of Laredo. Limited potential liability only if air traffic control, runway, or navigation aid issues contributed. The crash was post-departure on a highway, so ATC liability is unlikely absent a specific tower miscommunication. We investigate the crash-landing path and the airport’s published procedures, but the realistic exposure on the airport is small.
What Your Case Is Worth
The honest answer is that the value depends on facts we do not yet know. The 15-field analysis ranges the wrongful death claim at $8 million to $75 million or more, with aggregate exposure across all six claims — one wrongful death and five personal injury — potentially exceeding $100 million. We will not quote you a number. We will tell you the drivers of value, and we will tell you what we are looking for to move the number up or down.
Economic damages. The decedent’s lost earning capacity, lost benefits, and lost household services are calculated as a present value: what the decedent would have earned, contributed, and provided over a working lifetime, discounted to a lump sum at trial. NetJets’ clientele is typically high-net-worth, and earning capacity for this passenger class can be substantial. The forensic economist we retain will model several scenarios: the working lifetime, the retirement period, the household services value, and the present-value discount rate the court will apply.
Non-economic damages. Loss of companionship, advice, counsel, and parental guidance under § 71.002 are not capped in Texas aviation cases. The size of the non-economic award is driven by the closeness of the relationship, the character of the decedent, the life the survivors will now live without them, and the jury’s sense of what is fair. The viral bystander rescue narrative, the highway crash, the fire, and the heroism of the esthetician and her co-workers all contribute to a jury-sympathetic presentation that should command substantial non-economic damages.
Survival damages. Pre-death pain and suffering under § 71.021 are recoverable if the decedent was conscious for any part of the crash sequence. The eyewitness account of the fire and the bystander rescue suggests the fire and extrication took meaningful time. A conscious decedent who suffered during that sequence has a substantial survival claim that runs in addition to the wrongful death claim.
Punitive damages. Punitive damages are available on clear and convincing evidence of gross negligence, malice, or fraud. The ‘low fuel’ distress call, the loss of communications with the tower, and any evidence of operational decisions that put a flight in the air with a known problem are exactly the facts that can support a punitive claim. The size of the punitive award is driven by the degree of the defendant’s culpability and, under Chapter 41, the defendant’s wealth — and Berkshire Hathaway’s wealth is not a difficult argument to make.
The five survivors’ personal injury claims. The five passengers hospitalized in stable condition have separate personal injury claims. The injuries can include traumatic brain injury (the mechanism of a sudden deceleration crash with a fuselage breach), burn injury (the post-crash fire), smoke inhalation (which sent five police officers to the hospital), orthopedic trauma (the forces of the impact), and PTSD (which is a near-certainty in any survivor of a burning aircraft crash). These claims can collectively exceed the wrongful death valuation, and each one needs its own medical, economic, and life-care analysis.
The honest framing. Past results depend on the facts of each case and do not guarantee future outcomes. The firm has recovered more than $50 million for Texas families since 1998, and the firm has recovered millions in commercial-vehicle and wrongful death cases — but the value of your case will be built on the facts of your case, on the evidence we preserve, and on the work we put in. We will not promise a number. We will promise the work.
The Evidence Preservation Clock — What Exists, Who Holds It, How Fast It Dies
This is the section that decides the case. The law gives you two years to file. The evidence gives you weeks.
Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR). The CVR and FDR are in NTSB custody immediately, and the NTSB secures them as a matter of routine. The CVR captures pilot communications, cockpit sounds, and crew conversation. The FDR captures engine parameters, control inputs, altitude, airspeed, heading, and aircraft configuration. Many light and midsize Citations are not required to carry CVRs, but FDRs are more common. On CVRs that lack backup power, audio can be overwritten within 30 minutes of power loss. In a crash context, the NTSB recovers the recorders quickly, but counsel should file a 49 CFR 831.7 request to be a Party to the Investigation to obtain real-time access to the factual record as it is developed. Independent expert inspection of the recorders must be coordinated through the NTSB Parties process.
Maintenance records, logbooks, airworthiness directive (AD) and service bulletin (SB) compliance, work orders, AOG history. These records are held by NetJets (or by a contracted Part 145 repair station) and are the documents that establish airworthiness and identify any deferred maintenance. They are on rolling retention policies and can be purged. A formal spoliation letter — a written demand to preserve evidence, sent by certified mail and by email to outside general counsel, with a litigation hold copy to in-house counsel, the director of maintenance, the chief pilot, and the records custodian — must go out within days. If records are purged after receipt of a spoliation letter, the carrier faces severe sanctions, including adverse inference instructions and monetary penalties.
Pilot records. Flight time, certificates, medical certificate, training records, duty and rest records, and toxicology are all discoverable. The NTSB obtains toxicology as a matter of routine in a fatal accident. Pilot HR and training files are held by NetJets and must be demand-lettered immediately to prevent routine destruction under the carrier’s document retention schedule.
Dispatch records, flight release, weight and balance, weather briefing, NOTAM review. These records establish what NetJets knew at the time of dispatch and what the pilot was told. They are typically held in digital systems with retention windows of 90 days to 2 years. A preservation demand must be issued within 1 to 2 weeks.
Fuel records. The fuel ticket, the fuel quantity loaded, the fuel burn calculations, and the fuel system inspection records are held by the fixed-base operator (FBO) that fueled the aircraft in Laredo. FBO records are short-term — sometimes 30 days, sometimes less. A preservation demand to the FBO must be issued immediately. The ‘low fuel’ distress call is the heart of the case, and the fuel records are the documents that prove or disprove it.
Tower voice recordings, ASDE-X data, ARSR-4 radar returns, airport surveillance video. The Laredo tower voice recordings are retained 45 to 90 days per FAA Order 8020.16. ASDE-X surface detection data and ARSR-4 long-range radar returns are retained under FAA schedules. Airport surveillance video is typically overwritten within 30 to 90 days. A preservation demand to the FAA and to the Laredo Airport must be issued within days.
TxDOT traffic cameras and adjacent business surveillance. TxDOT maintains traffic cameras and roadway sensors along Loop 20. Retention varies, but typical windows are 30 to 90 days. Adjacent business surveillance video is often overwritten within days. A preservation demand to TxDOT and to identified businesses along Loop 20 must be issued immediately.
Bystander dashcam, cell phone, and social media video. The crash was captured on bystander video and posted to social media. The publicly posted versions are useful, but the original unedited versions with metadata — the file creation timestamp, the device identifier, the GPS coordinates — are essential for impeachment and authenticity. Subpoenas to identified witnesses and to the social media platforms, combined with a WebPreservation or LexisNexis social media preservation service, must be deployed immediately. Content can be taken down; preservation locks it in place.
Wreckage itself. The airframe, engines, cockpit instruments, fuel system components, and control surfaces are in NTSB custody and control. Parties to the investigation receive access under 49 CFR 831.7. Any independent expert inspection must be coordinated through the NTSB Parties process early. The wreckage is the physical evidence of the mechanical failure, the fire pattern, and the crash dynamics, and the inspection must be done by an aviation accident reconstruction expert with the right credentials.
The NetJets-Backed Playbook You Are Already Facing
NetJets’ crisis response team is in motion. They activated within hours. The playbook is professional, well-funded, and designed to control the information flow. Here are the plays you will see, and here is the counter to each one.
Play 1 — The sympathetic crisis team call. Within hours of the crash, a NetJets representative — sometimes called a ‘family liaison’ or a ‘crisis response coordinator’ — will contact the family. The call will be soft-spoken, sympathetic, and engineered to gather information. The representative will ask what happened, whether the family has spoken to anyone, and whether the family has hired a lawyer. Anything shared on that call is potentially discoverable, and the representative’s notes become part of the carrier’s defense file. The counter: do not speak with NetJets’ crisis team, their claims adjusters, or their investigators without counsel present. You can be polite and you can be grieving, but you do not have to answer their questions. Have an attorney on the call, or do not take the call.
Play 2 — The recorded statement request. The carrier’s investigator or the insurance adjuster will ask one or more of the five survivors for a recorded statement — ‘just to help us understand what happened.’ The recording will be used to pin down facts the carrier can use: what the survivor saw, what they remember, what they did not notice. The recorded statement becomes the survivor’s testimony before the survivor has had time to recover, consult a lawyer, or remember clearly. The counter: no recorded statement without counsel. Period. The carrier has all the time in the world. The survivor needs time too.
Play 3 — The blame shift. NetJets will work to develop alternative theories of the crash: pilot error, ATC miscommunication, third-party maintenance, fuel vendor error, weather. Each alternative theory spreads the liability across more defendants, slows the case, and gives the carrier a defense at trial. The alternative theories are developed in the NTSB factual record and in NetJets’ own internal investigation, and they are typically developed in parallel with the NTSB investigation. The counter: file as a Party to the NTSB investigation, retain your own experts, and develop the operator’s operational decisions independently of the carrier’s preferred narrative. The ‘low fuel’ report and the loss of communications are the carrier’s problem, not the pilot’s alone, and the records we preserve in the first 30 days will determine whose narrative the jury hears.
Play 4 — The slow settlement. Unlike many trucking cases, where the carrier makes a quick lowball offer to lock the family out of the real value, NetJets historically defends hard and settles late. The brand reputation stakes mean NetJets does not want a public trial, but the company also does not want to pay a number that the next case will be measured against. The case will take longer to settle than a trucking case, and the patience required is real. The counter: build the case as if it is going to trial, with full discovery, full expert development, and full preparation. The number the carrier eventually pays is a function of how trial-ready the case is, not how long the family has waited.
Play 5 — The social media mining. The crash is viral. The five survivors and the family have social media accounts. The carrier’s investigators will mine those accounts for anything that can be used: a survivor’s post about feeling fine, a family member’s complaint about something unrelated, a photo that contradicts a claimed injury. The counter: tell the family and the survivors to stay off social media entirely until counsel has reviewed. Do not post about the crash. Do not post about the injuries. Do not post about the case. Anything posted can be used, and the jury will see it.
How We Build a Case Like This
This is the chronological walk from the day you call to the day the case resolves. It is not a summary. It is the work.
Week one. The first call comes in. We send same-day spoliation letters to NetJets (certified to outside general counsel, with a litigation hold copy to in-house counsel, the director of maintenance, the chief pilot, the records custodian, and the dispatch manager), to Textron Aviation / Cessna, to the engine OEM, to the FBO that fueled the aircraft in Laredo, to the Laredo International Airport, to the Laredo Police Department, to TxDOT, and to any identified witnesses. We file a 49 CFR 831.7 request to be a Party to the NTSB investigation on behalf of the family. We begin preservation of bystander dashcam and social media footage through WebPreservation and subpoenas to platforms. We retain the initial experts: an aviation human-factors expert, a fuel-systems expert, a crash-reconstruction expert, and a pilot-performance expert. We obtain the crash report from the Laredo Police and the NMSP-equivalent state report.
Weeks two to twelve. The NTSB issues its preliminary report. We review it, note the factual findings, and identify the gaps. We file FOIA requests with the FAA for the controller statements, the ATC tapes, and the radar data. We take the early depositions that are permitted under the federal rules before full discovery: the NetJets director of operations, the chief pilot, the lead mechanic who signed off on the last maintenance, the dispatcher who released the flight, and the FBO line supervisor who fueled the aircraft. We retain a forensic economist to model the economic damages and a life-care planner to model the survivors’ future care needs. We begin the day-in-the-life video for the damages presentation.
Months three to twelve. Full discovery: maintenance records, pilot records, training records, dispatch records, fuel records, the operator’s internal investigation file, the manufacturer’s service bulletin history, the engine OEM’s design history. Expert reports exchanged. Depositions of the carrier’s experts and of the corporate representatives under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(b)(6). Mediation is considered only after the NTSB’s factual report issues and the liability and damages theories have sharpened. Voir dire research on the Webb County jury pool: bilingual voir dire is a weapon, and a bilingual jury that drives Loop 20 every day is a jury that will hold NetJets accountable for what happened on their highway.
The resolution. Aviation cases against well-capitalized operators typically resolve in one of three ways: (1) a structured settlement negotiated in mediation after the NTSB factual report, with payments that can include present-value lump sums and periodic payments for the survivors’ future care; (2) a jury verdict after a trial in Webb County or in a more plaintiff-friendly venue if transfer is appropriate, with the full damages picture presented to twelve people from the decedent’s community; (3) a confidential settlement negotiated on the courthouse steps, where the carrier’s trial exposure has been sharpened by the discovery and the jury research to a number the carrier will pay to avoid the public trial. The honest answer is that 98% of personal injury cases settle — but the settlement number is built by the trial work, and the trial work begins the day you call.
Why Texas Counsel Matters
This is a Texas crash in a Texas venue under Texas law. The national aviation firms will offer to handle the case from New York or Philadelphia. The Texas-based firm with Texas courtroom experience, with the ability to walk into a Webb County courtroom and read the room, is the right choice.
Webb County is the proper venue under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 15.014 — the county where the wrongful act occurred. The case will be filed in a Webb County state district court, and the jury will be drawn from Webb County. Webb County’s jury pool is heavily Hispanic and bicultural. The Spanish-language voir dire, the bilingual courtroom presentation, the day-in-the-life video with the family speaking in the language they think in — these are not decorations on the case. They are the case, in this venue. A national firm that flies in for the depositions and the trial cannot replicate what a Texas firm with bilingual capability and Texas courtroom experience can do at home.
The Texas procedural framework matters. The Texas wrongful death statute (§ 71.002), the survival action (§ 71.021), the modified comparative negligence rule (§ 33.001), the punitive damages standard (Chapter 41), the venue rules (§ 15.014), the expert report requirements, the discovery rules, the mediation culture, and the trial practice in a Webb County state district court are not interchangeable with the procedural framework in New York, California, or even the federal multidistrict litigation. The firm that tries cases in Texas state court is the firm that knows how a Texas state court jury hears an aviation case.
The co-counsel relationship is real. We work with aviation-specialty firms — Kreindler & Kreindler, the Motley Rice aviation group, and other firms with deep technical benches in aviation accident reconstruction, fuel system failures, and pilot human factors — when the technical complexity of a case demands it. The Texas firm coordinates the case, runs the Texas courtroom, and presents the Texas case. The aviation specialist provides the technical depth. The family has both.
Why This Firm — Attorney911 and The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC
We are The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC, doing business as Attorney911 — the firm that has spent more than two decades answering the phone when Texas families are in a legal emergency. Ralph Manginello, the firm’s managing partner, has practiced since 1998, is admitted to the State Bar of Texas (Bar Card No. 24007597), and is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas — federal trial practice that matters in aviation cases involving interstate operators. Ralph has spent 27+ years in courtrooms, including federal court, and the firm has recovered more than $50 million for Texas families since 1998. Ralph’s background as a journalist before he was a lawyer, and his championship-team discipline as a point guard before that, shape how he tells a jury a story and how he fights a case to the end. Ralph’s pedigree includes the BP Texas City refinery explosion litigation, one of the largest industrial-accident cases in American history.
Lupe Peña is the firm’s associate attorney and the insider you want on your side. Lupe spent years inside a national insurance defense firm — the rooms where claims like yours are priced, where reserves are set, where the recorded-statement call is engineered, where Colossus-style settlement software discounts pain it cannot see, and where the defense playbook is built. Lupe knows how the carrier codes the claim, how the adjuster sets the reserve, and how the defense firm sequences the discovery to delay. Lupe now runs that playbook in reverse, on the family’s side. Lupe is a third-generation Texan with family roots tying to the King Ranch, was born and raised in Sugar Land, Texas, where he lives with his family today, holds a B.B.A. in International Business from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and a J.D. from South Texas College of Law Houston, and is fully bilingual — Hablamos Español — because in a Webb County courtroom, the language of the witness is the language of the case.
The firm takes cases on a contingency fee. You pay nothing upfront. You pay nothing unless we win. The consultation is free, it is confidential, and it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call 1-888-ATTY-911. We will be on the line, we will listen, and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right firm for your case. If we are not, we will tell you that too.
“We are so sorry for your loss. We will move quickly to preserve every piece of evidence and to hold the responsible parties fully accountable, and we will keep you informed at every step. Do not speak with NetJets’ representatives, do not sign anything, and do not post about the case. Call us first.” — The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC, to every aviation-accident family, day one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is my family’s case worth after the Loop 20 crash?
The honest answer is that the value depends on facts we do not yet know — the decedent’s age, income, family circumstances, net worth, the pre-death pain and suffering if the decedent was conscious, and the strength of the punitive damages evidence. The 15-field analysis ranges the wrongful death claim at $8 million to $75 million or more, with aggregate exposure across all six claims potentially exceeding $100 million. We will not quote you a number before we know the facts. We will tell you the drivers of value, and we will tell you what we are looking for to move the number. Past results depend on the facts of each case and do not guarantee future outcomes.
How long do we have to file the case in Texas?
Two years from the date of death under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 71.002. The clock starts at the moment of death, not the moment of the crash. A decedent who lingered in the hospital for weeks before passing would have a clock that started at the moment of death. The two years is enough time to do the case right, but it is not so much time that the family can wait on the evidence — the preservation clock runs in days and weeks, not years.
Who can be sued for a NetJets crash?
Multiple defendants in a case like this. NetJets Aviation, Inc. as the operator, on theories of operational negligence, pilot negligence, and vicarious liability. The pilot individually where personal conduct went beyond respondeat superior. Cessna/Textron Aviation on product liability theories if a Cessna component failed. The engine manufacturer (likely Pratt & Whitney Canada or Williams International) on product liability theories if an engine component failed. The maintenance provider (NetJets’ in-house Part 145 repair station or a contracted vendor) on negligent maintenance theories. And potentially the Laredo International Airport or the City of Laredo in a limited role if air traffic control contributed. We name every defendant the facts support.
What is the NTSB and why does it matter to my case?
The National Transportation Safety Board is the federal agency that investigates civil aviation accidents under 49 U.S.C. § 1131 and 49 CFR Part 831. The NTSB’s job is to determine the probable cause of the accident and to issue safety recommendations. The NTSB’s factual record becomes the spine of every civil case that follows. Under 49 CFR 831.7, the family can apply to be a Party to the Investigation — which gives the family real-time access to the evidence, the witnesses, and the technical reports. In almost every fatal aviation case against a well-capitalized operator, we file as a Party.
Do I have to talk to NetJets’ crisis response team?
No. You can be polite, you can be grieving, and you do not have to answer their questions. Anything you say to the NetJets crisis team is potentially discoverable and can be used to shape the carrier’s defense. Have an attorney on the call, or do not take the call. The same rule applies to the insurance adjuster and to any investigator. No recorded statement without counsel. No signed authorization or release without counsel reviewing it.
What is the difference between a wrongful death claim and a survival action in Texas?
Wrongful death under § 71.002 is brought for the benefit of the surviving spouse, children, and parents, and recovers the loss of companionship, advice, counsel, parental guidance, and pecuniary support. Survival under § 71.021 is brought by the personal representative of the estate and recovers the decedent’s own pre-death damages — the conscious pain and suffering between the moment of injury and the moment of death, plus medical and funeral expenses. In a crash like the Loop 20 accident, the survival claim can be substantial if the decedent was conscious for any part of the crash sequence. The two claims are brought in the same lawsuit but they are separate causes of action with separate damages.
What are punitive damages and can we get them in this case?
Punitive damages are available in Texas under Chapter 41 on clear and convincing evidence of gross negligence, malice, or fraud. The ‘low fuel’ distress call, the loss of communications with the Laredo tower, and any evidence of operational decisions that put the flight in the air with a known problem are exactly the facts that can support a punitive claim against a commercial operator. The size of the punitive award is driven by the degree of the defendant’s culpability and by the defendant’s wealth — and Berkshire Hathaway’s wealth is not a difficult argument to make. Punitive damages are not automatic — they must be proven by clear and convincing evidence — but in an aviation case against a well-capitalized operator with a ‘low fuel’ distress call, the punitive theory is real.
How much does it cost to hire Attorney911 for a case like this?
Nothing upfront. We take cases on contingency. You pay no fee unless we win. The consultation is free, it is confidential, and it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If we do not win, you owe us nothing for our time. If we do win, our fee is a percentage of the recovery, and the specifics are spelled out in a written agreement before we begin work. Past results depend on the facts of each case and do not guarantee future outcomes.
Can a NetJets case be settled without going to trial?
Most personal injury cases settle — the 98% figure is roughly accurate. Aviation cases against well-capitalized operators like NetJets typically resolve in one of three ways: a structured settlement negotiated in mediation after the NTSB factual report issues, with payments that can include present-value lump sums and periodic payments for future care; a jury verdict in Webb County or in a more plaintiff-friendly venue if transfer is appropriate; or a confidential settlement negotiated on the courthouse steps, where the carrier’s trial exposure has been sharpened by discovery and jury research to a number the carrier will pay to avoid the public trial. The settlement number is built by the trial work — and the trial work begins the day you call.
What should I do in the first 24 hours after the crash?
Three things, in order. First, secure medical care for any survivors and notify the family of the deceased — gently, with support, in person or by phone, not by text. Second, do not speak with NetJets’ crisis team, their adjusters, or their investigators without counsel present. Do not sign anything. Do not post on social media. Do not give a recorded statement. Third, call us at 1-888-ATTY-911. We will send same-day spoliation letters to NetJets, Textron/Cessna, the engine OEM, the FBO, the Laredo Airport, the Laredo Police, TxDOT, and any identified witnesses. We will begin the preservation work that decides the case.
Does the Montreal Convention apply to this crash?
No. The Montreal Convention (and the older Warsaw Convention) apply to international air carriage — flights between the United States and a foreign country, or between two foreign countries. The Loop 20 crash was a domestic flight from Laredo to Austin with no international segment. The case is governed by common-law tort principles under Texas law, not by treaty-based strict liability with statutory caps. That is good for the family — it means the full damages picture is available, not capped by treaty.
What happens to the case if the NTSB finds the crash was the pilot’s fault?
NetJets is still liable. Under respondeat superior, an employer is vicariously liable for the negligence of its employees acting within the scope of employment. The pilot was acting within the scope of employment when the crash occurred. NetJets’ own operational decisions — fuel planning, dispatch release, pre-flight inspection, the go/no-go decision — are independent grounds of NetJets’ own liability that do not depend on the pilot’s individual conduct. The NTSB’s probable cause finding is important, but it is not the whole case. The civil case is built on the operator’s choices, the manufacturer’s design, and the maintenance chain’s conduct — and those are independent theories that survive any pilot-error finding.
Free Consultation — 1-888-ATTY-911
If your family is living the Loop 20 crash, you do not have to live it alone. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 right now, day or night. The consultation is free. There is no fee unless we win. We will send the same-day spoliation letters, we will file the 49 CFR 831.7 Party to the NTSB Investigation request, we will retain the right experts, and we will sit with your family at the kitchen table and walk through what comes next — in English or in Spanish, with the patience this moment requires and the discipline this fight demands.
We serve Texas families in wrongful death, catastrophic personal injury, and commercial-vehicle cases — and we have done so for more than 27 years. Ralph Manginello, our managing partner, brings federal-court trial experience and a journalist’s eye for the story the evidence tells. Lupe Peña, our associate attorney, spent years inside a national insurance defense firm — the rooms where the other side’s playbook is built — and now runs it in reverse for the families we represent. Hablamos Español.
If we are not the right firm for your case, we will tell you. We will also tell you what to do next, who to call, and how to protect yourself in the days ahead. The information on this page is legal information, not legal advice for your specific case — but the call to 1-888-ATTY-911 is the first step toward getting the legal advice your family needs.
Past results depend on the facts of each case and do not guarantee future outcomes. The firm has recovered more than $50 million for Texas families since 1998, including wrongful death and commercial-vehicle cases — but the value of your case will be built on the facts of your case, on the evidence we preserve, and on the work we put in.
Call now. 1-888-ATTY-911. Free consultation. No fee unless we win. Hablamos Español.