On December 15, 2025, a tragic plane crash unfolded in central Mexico, leaving a community in shock and authorities scrambling for answers. The accident, which took place in San Mateo Atenco—an industrial municipality just a few miles from Toluca International Airport—claimed the lives of all ten people aboard, including three young children, and forced the evacuation of more than 130 residents from the surrounding area due to a massive fire.
The ill-fated aircraft, a Cessna 650 Citation III, had departed from Acapulco, a city on Mexico’s Pacific coast, around noon. According to multiple reports, including those from USA TODAY and Mexico News Daily, the jet was registered for eight passengers and two crew members. The flight was destined for Toluca, the capital of Mexico State, with a scheduled arrival at 12:29 p.m. But as the plane approached its destination, disaster struck.
Investigators say the pilot sent an emergency message to the control tower at Toluca airport, reporting technical problems and requesting guidance for an emergency landing. In the words of President Claudia Sheinbaum, speaking at a press conference the following day, “The [Federal Attorney General’s Office] is conducting the review, but apparently it was a technical failure.” Sheinbaum also offered condolences to the families and friends of the victims, emphasizing the gravity of the tragedy.
Eyewitnesses described the harrowing moments leading up to the crash. Residents of the area, accustomed to low-flying planes due to the airport’s proximity, noticed that this particular jet seemed to be wobbling from side to side. The pilot attempted to land the aircraft on a soccer field roughly 800 meters from the airport runway. However, as reported by La Jornada and AP, the plane was moving too fast to stop safely. It plowed through the field, struck the metal roof of a nearby truck maintenance workshop, and then collided with the wall of an industrial warehouse in the Santa Maria Totoltepec neighborhood.
The impact ignited a massive fire, fueled in part by diesel containers and gas tanks stored nearby. The resulting blaze sent a thick plume of black smoke billowing into the sky, visible from the airport itself. Emergency responders—including firefighters, Red Cross workers, and forensic investigators—rushed to the scene. According to Mayor Ana Muñiz of San Mateo Atenco, the fire necessitated the evacuation of about 130 people from their homes and businesses. Authorities cordoned off a four-block area for several hours to ensure public safety while they battled the flames and secured the site.
Despite the intensity of the fire and the devastation at the crash site, there were no reported casualties on the ground. The warehouse struck by the plane was unoccupied at the time—a small mercy in an otherwise heartbreaking event. As Muñiz explained to local media, “People were not working in the warehouse at the time of the crash.”
The victims of the crash were soon identified, painting a picture of a family trip cut tragically short. The deceased included Natalia, age 2; Raúl, age 4; Ximena, age 9; Gustavo Palomino Olet, age 50; Ilse Lizeth Hernández Téllez, age 32; Raúl Gómez Ruiz, age 60; Raúl Gómez Buenfil, age 31; Olga Janine Buenfil Cardone, age 60; Juan Carlos Olivares Casas, the pilot, age 61; and Walding Sánchez Manzano, the co-pilot, age 72. According to Mexico News Daily, all ten occupants lost their lives, and the recovery of their remains took several hours due to the severity of the fire and wreckage.
As news of the disaster spread, federal agencies launched a comprehensive investigation. The Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) took the lead, joined by the Federal Ministerial Police, the Criminal Investigation Agency, the Federal Civil Aviation Agency, the Directorate of Aviation Accident and Incident Analysis, and the Directorate of Air Navigation Services in Mexican Airspace. The goal: to determine the precise cause of the crash and prevent similar tragedies in the future. The jet, according to La Jornada, was owned by Servicios Aéreos Estrella, a company with a hangar at Toluca airport.
Photos from the scene, published by AP and other outlets, show the charred remains of the jet amid emergency vehicles and investigators combing through debris. The soccer field, meant to be a place of recreation, was scarred by a deep rut where the plane first touched down, while the adjacent warehouse bore the brunt of the impact and subsequent fire.
Officials have not yet released a definitive explanation for the technical failure that doomed the flight. However, the swift and coordinated response by local and federal authorities, as well as the absence of further casualties among residents, has been widely acknowledged. President Sheinbaum, local leaders, and federal investigators have all pledged transparency and thoroughness as the investigation proceeds.
The crash has reverberated far beyond San Mateo Atenco. For many, the tragedy is a stark reminder of the risks inherent in air travel, especially in regions where emergency landing options are limited by urban sprawl and industrial development. The incident also highlights the importance of robust aviation safety standards and rapid emergency response capabilities.
As the community mourns the loss of ten lives—three of them children—questions linger about what more could have been done to avert disaster. For now, the focus remains on supporting the bereaved families, completing the investigation, and ensuring that lessons learned from this devastating event are not forgotten.
With the investigation ongoing and the memory of the victims fresh in the minds of many, San Mateo Atenco and the broader aviation community are left to reckon with the aftermath of a day that began like any other, but ended in tragedy.
