Mesquite plane crash: 1 killed near Mesquite airport
Pilot killed in Mesquite plane crash.
The pilot of a small business jet died in a crash on Thursday morning in Mesquite. That Cessna Citation went down seconds after taking off from the Mesquite Metro Airport.
MESQUITE, Texas - The pilot of a small business jet died in a crash on Thursday morning in Mesquite.
Mesquite Plane Crash
(Courtesy: Dorian LeBeau)
What we know:
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Cessna CitationJet crashed around 7:30 a.m. shortly after taking off from the Mesquite Metro Airport.
The Mesquite Fire Department confirmed the plane went down in a wooded area between a neighborhood and a church near Lawson and Clay Mathis roads. It then burst into flames.
Video and images shared by FOX 4 viewers showed the plane taking a nose dive at what looked like full speed. A black cloud of smoke followed.
Responding firefighters worked to put out spot fires.
The pilot, who was the only person on board, did not survive.
No one else was hurt.
Mesquite plane crash
A small plane crashed near the Mesquite Airport. The plane crashed into a wooded area.
What we don't know:
There’s no information yet on the cause of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board will send inspectors to Mesquite on Friday for an investigation.
The pilot's name has not yet been released.
Neighbors Shaken by Impact
What they're saying:
The Mesquite neighborhood just north of where the plane crashed was literally shaken by the impact.
"When I was walking my kids off for school we heard a loud bang and the house shook. And I thought something initially hit our house. So when I went out to check, we saw a fire behind the yard, and then we saw a lot of smoke and everything," said Latresha Calvin.
Maria Yepez saw the smoke and smelled the fumes while dropping her children off at school.
"It was not like a regular smell like when a house is burning or when you turn on your chimney and stuff, you know. It was a different smell," she said.
Deadly U.S. plane crashes in 2025: Timeline
Since the beginning of 2025, at least 105 people have died in 18 U.S. aviation incidents.
Christian Center of Mesquite Pastor Kevin Laugh said he's just glad the plane crashed in a wooded area. It could have been an even bigger tragedy.
"It could have hit our house. It could have hit the church. Or he could have landed in the residential area that's just south of here. That would have been very devastating," he said.
The church pastor is also rattled because of a recent dream he had.
"A few nights ago I had a dream. I don't remember my dreams very often. But I had a dream that the plane crashed in the back of the property and when this happened, that's the first thing I thought of. I knew it was. I was hoping it wasn't," he said.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Mequite Fire Department.