An medical jet carrying a young girl, her mother and four crew members crashed into a busy residential area of northeast Philadelphia Friday, erupting in a fireball.
The aircraft came down just after 6pm local time near the Roosevelt Mall, damaging half a dozen homes and a number of vehicles. Shocking footage showed a large mushroom-shaped fireball shooting into the sky upon the plane’s impact.
There are no survivors, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L Parker told reporters during a news conference on Saturday. One person who was in a nearby car also perished in the accident. Nineteen people were transported to area hospitals.
City law enforcement quickly declared the crash a “major incident” and urged residents to stay away from the area.
It happened just two days after a deadly mid-air collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane above Washington D.C. killed 67 people. There were no survivors.
Here’s what we know:
The aircraft came down just after 6 p.m. near the Roosevelt Mall, damaging several homes and vehicles (Reuters)
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane departed from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 6.06pm local time, en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.
The plane, a Learjet 55, quickly disappeared from radar after taking off and climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet. It was reportedly airborne for only about 40 seconds and fell from the sky at around 11,000 feet per minute.
No one on board the aircraft survived the incident. One person on the ground was killed and nineteen people were transported to area hospitals.
All six of those on board the flight were Mexican nationals, that country’s government confirmed.
The child, a girl who was being treated at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia, was being transported back to Mexico where she is from. The flight’s final destination was to be Tijuana after a stop in Missouri. Philadelphia officials confirmed the plane was only in the air for minutes before it crashed.
Audio from air traffic control, obtained by CNN, reported a “lost aircraft” shortly after takeoff.
The two-engine jet came down in a “high traffic” residential neighborhood in the northeast section of the city, with the explosion captured from multiple angles by cellphones, ring doorbells and dash-cams.
Eyewitnesses said the sky was “lit up” by the explosion.
There were at least six people on board, including a child who had just completed her treatment for a life-threatening condition, her mother and four others. Her age is not yet known.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the company that operated the aircraft, later confirmed that a pediatric patient had been on board, along with an adult carer, and four crew members. Mr Gold said this was a seasoned crew and everyone involved in these flights goes through rigorous training.
“When an incident like this happens, it’s shocking and surprising,” Mr Gold told The Associated Press. “All of the aircraft are maintained, not a penny is spared because we know our mission is so critical.”
The company has said that “no names are being released at this time until family members have been notified”.
“Our immediate concern is for the patient’s family, our personnel, their families and other victims that may have been hurt on the ground.”
According to the FAA, the plane departed from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 6.06 p.m. local time, en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri (The Independent)
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which is registered in the US and Mexico, and describes itself as “Mexico’s leading, largest and most experienced air ambulance service,” and reportedly specializes in the transportation of pediatric patients.
Its fleet includes 10 Learjets and one AirBus helicopter. All of the air ambulance jets are equipped with the most modern equipment available for air medical transport.
Following the crash Donald Trump lamented the loss of “more innocent souls” on his social media site Truth Social.
“So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost,” he wrote. “Our people are totally engaged. First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job. More to follow. God Bless you all.”
(Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management)
The president was reportedly briefed by newly confirmed Transport Secretary Sean Duffy, who said he had also spoken to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
In his own statement on X, Shapiro said he had spoken with Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and local law enforcement, and was offering all Commonwealth resources.
In a press conference later on Friday night, Shapiro hailed “one Philly” and offered his thoughts and prayers for “all those who are grieving.”
“What we’re seeing here is a unified response to an awful aviation disaster,” he said. “But as awful as that awful aviation disaster was, tonight we saw the best of Philly – neighbor helping neighbor.
He added: “We know there will be loss in this region and we want to offer our thoughts and our serious prayers for those who are grieving.”
The FAA and NTSB will investigate the incident. The NTSB will lead the investigation and will provide all updates.
Governor Shapiro added that 45 state troopers were on the ground assisting local law enforcement.
