7 are killed in medical plane crash in Philadelphia
A small medical plane carrying six people crashed near a shopping center in northeast Philadelphia on Friday night, killing all on board and one person on the ground and sending a large fireball into the air that engulfed homes and vehicles in flames, authorities said.
At a news conference Saturday morning, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said the person killed on the ground had been in a vehicle. She said that at least 19 others were injured on the ground, but cautioned that the number could change. The conditions of those injured were not immediately available.
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The crash affected an area of roughly four to six blocks, Adam Thiel, managing director of the city of Philadelphia, said at the news conference. City personnel were going door to door to inspect buildings and make sure there was no hidden structural damage.
He said it could be days or more before officials could be sure of the total number of fatalities and the outcome of those injured.
The Learjet 55 was transporting a pediatric patient from Philadelphia, where she had completed treatment, to her home in Mexico, said Shai Gold, a spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which owns the plane.
She was accompanied by her mother, and there were also two pilots, a doctor and a paramedic on board, he said. The patient had been treated at Shriners Children’s in Philadelphia, hospital spokesperson Mel Bower said.
All six people on the plane were Mexican, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said. The plane had departed from nearby Northeast Philadelphia Airport, according to Philadelphia officials.
It had only been in the air for a minute before it crashed just after 6 p.m., they said, citing the Federal Aviation Administration.
The crash left a blackened crater, charred cars into burned shells, and sent debris scattered through streets, according to video footage. The burning debris from the plane left an apartment building in flames. Several blocks within roughly half a mile were cordoned off. Residents described seeing thick smoke rising from the crash site and smelling fuel.
Several people injured in connection with the crash were taken to Temple Health, said Jennifer Reardon, a spokesperson for the hospital. Three were discharged after treatment, and three others remained hospitalized, she said.
The plane had a planned stop in Missouri for fuel before its final destination, Tijuana International Airport, Gold said. He added that he would not release any names until family members were notified.
The plane was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri when it crashed, the FAA said. It crashed near Cottman and Bustleton avenues, across from the Roosevelt Mall, local authorities said.
“This is a tragedy in our city,” Parker said in a statement. “People have lost their lives and many injured in this horrific crash, and the damage is significant.”
She told residents not to touch anything that looked like debris and to stay inside if possible.
It is unclear why the plane crashed.
The jet plummeted to the ground within a minute of takeoff, according to Flightradar24, an aviation tracking website. Data broadcast by the plane indicated that at one point, it was descending 11,000 feet per minute, according to the website.
An air traffic controller tried to communicate with the pilot several times after the jet took off but got no response, according to an audio transmission.
After a long silence, a controller said: “We have a lost aircraft. We’re not exactly sure what happened, so we’re trying to figure it out.”
Killiom Pontes, 38, a manager of a cellphone store less than a mile from the crash site, said the impact had caused the windows of the business to shake.
“At first, I thought it was an earthquake, but then we saw the big boom,” he said, adding that he then drove to the scene, which he described as a busy commercial area. “I saw a big hole in the ground. I was in shock how much debris there was.”
Samuel Landis, 22, a cellular electrician, said he had been assigned to a job site that ended up being destroyed.
“We’re just here to work, but the plane crashed directly where we were supposed to be,” he said.
Kristen Moore, a spokesperson for the Roosevelt Mall’s owner, Brixmor Property Group, said the plane had crashed in front of the shopping center.
Authorities in Philadelphia said they had closed several nearby roads, warning drivers to expect delays in the area.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance conducts 600 to 700 flights a year and specializes in critical care patients, Gold said. In its 27 years of operation, it has had one other fatal episode, when five crew members died in November 2023, he said.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.
President Donald Trump said in a post on social media Friday night that his administration was tracking the developments.
“So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” he wrote. “More innocent souls lost.”
The Mexican consulate in Philadelphia said on social media Saturday morning that it was in contact with the families of the six people who were on the plane.
President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico mourned the deaths of the six crash victims in a post on the social media platform X, saying that consular authorities were in constant contact with the families.
“I have asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support them in whatever way is required,” she said. “My solidarity with their loved ones and friends.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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