On December 22, 2025, a small Mexican Navy aircraft on a humanitarian medical mission crashed into Galveston Bay, Texas, resulting in the deaths of at least five people, with two survivors and one person still missing. The tragedy unfolded just after 3 p.m., near the base of the causeway that connects Galveston Island to the mainland, approximately 50 miles southeast of Houston, according to statements from both U.S. and Mexican authorities.
The doomed flight was not just any routine operation. The aircraft, a King Air ANX-1209, was carrying eight people: four Navy officers and four civilians, including a child from Yucatán suffering from severe burns. The mission, coordinated with the Michou and Mau Foundation, aimed to transport the young patient to Shriners Children’s Hospital in Galveston, a facility renowned for its pediatric burn care. As reported by ABC News and The Associated Press, this foundation regularly provides emergency transport for Mexican children with life-threatening burn injuries.
Tragedy struck as the aircraft was making its approach to Galveston. Flight tracking data cited by Al Jazeera showed the plane departed Mérida, Yucatán, at 18:46 GMT and was last recorded at 21:01 GMT over Galveston Bay, near Scholes International Airport. The Mexican Navy confirmed that the plane “experienced an incident” during this critical phase, but the exact cause remains under investigation.
Weather conditions may have played a significant role. Cameron Batiste, a National Weather Service meteorologist, told NBC News that dense fog had rolled in around 2:30 p.m., reducing visibility to about half a mile. The fog was expected to persist through the following morning. While authorities have not officially identified weather as a cause, the challenging conditions certainly complicated rescue efforts.
Emergency responders from multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Galveston Police, Fire Departments, Beach Patrol, and lifeguards, rushed to the scene after receiving a distress call at approximately 3:17 p.m. The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, with its dive, crime scene, drone, and patrol units, also played a crucial role in the response. According to The New York Times, the Texas Department of Public Safety is now leading the investigation, with support from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Both agencies have confirmed their involvement and are gathering information at the crash site.
Eyewitness accounts painted a harrowing picture of the aftermath. Sky Decker, a professional yacht captain who lives about a mile from the crash site, described his desperate attempt to help. He told The Associated Press, “I couldn’t believe. She had maybe 3 inches of air gap to breathe in. And there was jet fuel in there mixed with the water, fumes real bad. She was really fighting for her life.” Decker managed to rescue a badly injured woman trapped beneath chairs and debris inside the nearly submerged wreckage. Sadly, he also recovered the body of a man dressed in civilian clothes, who had already died.
Among the eight people on board, the Mexican Navy confirmed that four were its officers and four were civilians, which included the child patient and two passengers from the Michou and Mau Foundation. The foundation, in a statement shared on social media and reported by NBC News, expressed its deep sorrow: “We express our deepest solidarity with the families in light of these events. We share their grief with respect and compassion, honoring their memory and reaffirming our commitment to providing humane, sensitive, and dignified care to children with burns.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the nation on Tuesday morning, confirming the presence of the young burn victim from Yucatán and noting the involvement of a medical team, Navy members, and family aboard the flight. She expressed her condolences, stating, “What happened is very sad,” and emphasized that the cause of the accident would remain unknown until the plane’s black box is recovered and analyzed. Sheinbaum’s remarks, as reported by The New York Times, underscored the gravity of the loss and the ongoing search for answers.
The identities of those killed and the missing have not been officially released. The U.S. Coast Guard indicated that two people were taken to the hospital, though their conditions remain unclear, while a 27-year-old passenger was reportedly uninjured. As of Monday night, one person was still unaccounted for, and rescue operations continued in the fog-shrouded waters of Galveston Bay.
The crash has drawn attention to the risks involved in medical transport missions, particularly those conducted across international borders and in challenging weather. The Michou and Mau Foundation, which regularly coordinates such flights, reaffirmed its dedication to helping children with severe burns despite the tragedy. Their statement, as echoed by Al Jazeera and NBC News, highlighted the organization’s resolve to “honor their memory and reaffirm our commitment to providing humane, sensitive, and dignified care to children with burns.”
Meanwhile, the investigation continues with multiple agencies piecing together the final moments of the ill-fated flight. The FAA and NTSB are expected to analyze flight data, weather conditions, and the aircraft’s maintenance records. As President Sheinbaum pointed out, “Until the black box is recovered and analyzed, it will be impossible to know what caused the crash.”
This crash is a somber reminder of the inherent dangers faced by humanitarian missions, even as they strive to save lives. It also underscores the importance of cross-border cooperation in emergency response, with U.S. and Mexican authorities working side by side in both rescue and investigation efforts.
As Galveston’s community and the families of the victims mourn, the story of this mission—marked by compassion, tragedy, and heroism—continues to unfold. The hope is that the ongoing investigation will bring clarity to the causes of the crash and, perhaps, offer lessons to prevent such tragedies in the future.
