Two survivors were pulled from the water as agencies searched overnight for a missing passenger west of the Galveston Causeway.
GALVESTON, Texas — A Mexican Navy medical transport carrying eight people crashed into Galveston Bay on Monday afternoon, killing at least five and injuring two as rescuers converged near the causeway bridge linking the island to the mainland. Crews searched into early Tuesday for one person still missing amid patchy fog.
Authorities said the twin-engine aircraft was en route to Shriners Children’s in Galveston with a pediatric burn patient when it went down shortly after 3:17 p.m. near the west side of the causeway. The Navy said four of its officers and four civilians were aboard, including the child and members of a nonprofit that coordinates urgent care for burn victims. Local police, firefighters and the U.S. Coast Guard responded within minutes. Investigators from federal aviation agencies began gathering radar data, weather reports and witness accounts. The crash halted traffic on nearby waterways and drew dozens of boaters who tried to help before first responders reached the scene.
Witnesses described low visibility on the bay as sirens closed in from Interstate 45. Neighbors on the shoreline launched small boats and reached the wreckage before patrol craft arrived. One of them, a recreational boater, said the scene was “dire” as they cut free a woman trapped in debris and signaled to incoming responders. Coast Guard crews used helicopters and shallow-water vessels to grid search around bridge pilings and mudflats while EMS stabilized two survivors taken to area hospitals. Mexican officials called the crash “tragic” in a statement and offered condolences to the families of the dead. The agencies did not immediately release the survivors’ conditions.
Officials said radio contact with the aircraft was lost for several minutes before the crash and that weather may have complicated the response. Dense fog settled over the causeway through the afternoon, limiting visibility on the water and roadway. The aircraft type was a Beechcraft King Air, a twin-turboprop commonly used for medical transfers. The Navy released the names of its crew members late Monday along with the full passenger count. Authorities emphasized that the precise cause remains unknown. Data from air traffic control and any onboard equipment will be reviewed, along with maintenance logs and pilot records. Divers and sonar teams focused on a debris field west of the bridge where currents and shallow bottoms can scatter light materials.
Emergency managers noted that Galveston Bay has seen sporadic small-aircraft incidents over the years but few with this many casualties. Shriners Children’s, a longtime destination for critical burn care, frequently receives cross-border patients through agreements with Mexican health authorities and charities. Monday’s flight was part of that pipeline, which typically uses pressurized turboprops for short-notice transfers along the Gulf Coast. The crash unfolded during the evening commute, drawing heavy attention from drivers on the I-45 causeway and from residents along Harborside Drive and the adjoining marinas. Debris recovery continued past sunset under portable lighting while traffic in nearby channels was restricted.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were expected to document the wreckage, interview witnesses and analyze communications recordings this week. The Coast Guard said search units would remain on the water Tuesday to locate the missing passenger and recover additional evidence. If weather allows, dive operations and a detailed mapping of the site are planned, followed by a preliminary NTSB summary in the coming days. Mexican authorities said they are coordinating with U.S. counterparts on notifications and repatriation of the dead. No timetable has been released for when names of the civilians aboard will be made public.
As night fell, spotlights swept the water beneath the bridge while thumps from helicopter rotors echoed over the causeway. A few residents watched from docks with folded arms as officers laid out orange markers and a chaplain stood with families at the marina fence. “It was so quiet except for the sirens,” said a man who lives near the channel. A hospital spokesperson said teams were prepared to receive the child and others before learning of the crash. Volunteers who first reached the scene later retrieved a floating cooler and a torn headset, small reminders of a mission that never arrived.
By early Tuesday, officials said the death toll stood at five, with two survivors hospitalized and one person still missing as the search continued near the causeway. The next update is expected after morning briefings Tuesday, Dec. 23.
Author note: Last updated December 23, 2025.