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A medical plane carrying a child patient and 5 others crashes in Philadelphia, setting homes ablaze

By Associated Press

February 1, 2025

The company operating the flight that crashed into a Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood Friday evening said it could not confirm any survivors. There was no immediate word whether anyone on the ground was killed.

PHILADELPHIA — A medical transport jet transporting a child who had just completed treatment for a life-threatening condition, her mother and four others crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood shortly after takeoff Friday evening, exploding in a fireball that engulfed several homes.

Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which operated the Learjet 55, said in a statement: “We cannot confirm any survivors.” There was no immediate word whether anyone on the ground was killed, but at least six people were treated for injuries at a hospital.

Everyone aboard the flight was from Mexico. The child was being transported home, according to Jet Rescue spokesperson Shai Gold. The flight’s final destination was Tijuana after a stop in Missouri.

The patient and her mother were on board along with four crew members. 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,” Gold told The Associated Press. “All of the aircraft are maintained, not a penny is spared because we know our mission is so critical.”

@keystonenewsroom

Several casualties were reported after a small plane crashed, causing an explosion and sparking multiple fires near a shopping mall and busy intersection in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday evening, January 31, according to local media, citing police. The crash happened near Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, across from the Roosevelt Mall, at around 6 pm, authorities said. This footage shows a large explosion as the plane crashed, followed by multiple fires. The FAA said a Learjet 55 crashed after leaving Northeast Philadelphia Airport, according to NBC Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management (OEM) said several roads in the area would remain closed as emergency services responded. Governor Josh Shapiro said he and his team were communicating with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management and the Philadelphia Fire Department, and that his office was “offering all Commonwealth resources as they respond to the small private plane crash in Northeast Philly.” 🎥 : @st4ced_up via Storyful #Pennsylvanian #Pennsylvania #Pennsylvania_life #NewsUpdate #NewsUpdates #Philly #PhillyNews

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said at a news conference late Friday that officials expected fatalities in the “awful aviation disaster.”

“We know that there will be loss,” he said.

A spokesperson for Temple University Hospital-Jeanes, Jennifer Reardon, said they had treated six people with injuries from the crash. Three of those people had since been released and the others were in fair condition. She wasn’t able to provide information about their injuries or where the people were when they sustained them.

State Rep. Jared Solomon (D), who represents the Northeast Philadelphia district in which the plane crash occurred, praised the first responders on the scene. 

“Northeast Philadelphia is a community of neighbors who care about each other. In a time of profound tragedy, I was inspired to witness hundreds of our first responders sprinting towards danger to ensure the safety of our neighborhood,” Solomon said in a statement. “Northeast Philadelphia stands united in prayer for the families of the victims, and in gratitude for the brave firefighters and police officers who keep us safe.”Philadelphia stands united in prayer for the families of the victims, and in gratitude for the brave firefighters and police officers who keep us safe.”

City officials said that Samuel Fels High School was open to those impacted by the crash in need of shelter.

The plane was registered in Mexico. Jet Rescue is based in Mexico and has operations both there and in the U.S.

The crash came just two days after the deadliest U.S. air disaster in a generation. On Wednesday night, an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided in midair in Washington, D.C., with an Army helicopter carrying three soldiers. There were no survivors.

The Philadelphia crash was the second fatal incident in 15 months for Jet Rescue. In 2023 five crewmembers were killed when their plane overran a runway in the central Mexican state of Morelos and crashed into a hillside.

In Philadelphia, a doorbell camera captured video of the plane plunging in a streak of white and exploding as it hit the ground near a shopping mall and major roadway.

“All we heard was a loud roar and didn’t know where it was coming from. We just turned around and saw the big plume,” said Jim Quinn, the owner of the doorbell camera.

The crash happened less than 3 miles from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights.

The Learjet 55 quickly disappeared from radar after taking off from the airport at 6:06 p.m. and climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet. It was registered to a company operating as Med Jets, according to the flight tracking website Flight Aware.

Shortly after 6 p.m., audio recorded by LiveATC captured an air traffic controller telling “Medevac Medservice 056” to turn right when departing. About 30 seconds later it repeats the request before asking, “You on frequency?” Minutes later, the controller says, “We have a lost aircraft. We’re not exactly sure what happened, so we’re trying to figure it out. For now the field is going to be closed.”

A continuous stream of police vehicles and fire trucks initially responded at the crash site, taking over business parking lots. Within about an hour, the cry of sirens and shouted orders had faded into relative quiet at the edges of the closed-off area, and darkness settled in as drivers passing by peered out trying to see what was happening.

The plane crashed in a busy intersection near Roosevelt Mall, an outdoor shopping center in the densely populated neighborhood of Rhawnhurst.

One cellphone video taken by a witness moments after the crash showed a chaotic scene with debris scattered across the intersection. A wall of orange glowed just beyond as a plume of black smoke rose into the sky and sirens blared.

Michael Schiavone, 37, was sitting at his home in Mayfair, a nearby neighborhood, when he heard a loud bang and his house shook. He said it felt like a mini earthquake and when he checked his home security camera, it looked like a missile came down.

“There was a large explosion, so I thought we were under attack for a second,” he said.

Jet Rescue, which provides global air ambulance services, flew baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz to Boston after he was shot in the Dominican Republic in 2019 and was involved in transporting patients critically ill with COVID-19.

The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation. The NTSB said an investigator arrived and more officials would be there Saturday.

Keystone senior community editor Patrick Berkery contributed to this report.

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