Home News Headlines Plane with 2 aboard crashes in Philadelphia and sets multiple homes ablaze
News Headlines

Plane with 2 aboard crashes in Philadelphia and sets multiple homes ablaze

Share
Share

A medical transport jet crashed in Philadelphia on Friday about 30 seconds after taking off, setting homes ablaze and unleashing a fireball into the night sky. Two people were on board, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said he is offering all “Commonwealth resources as they respond to the small private plane crash in Northeast Philly.”

The crash comes two days after the country’s deadliest aviation disaster in almost a quarter century. An American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided in midair Wednesday night in Washington, D.C., with an Army helicopter carrying three soldiers. There were no survivors in that crash.

The plane appeared to be a Learjet 55 that quickly disappeared from radar after takeoff. It was en route to Springfield, Missouri, and registered to a company operating as Med Jets, according to the flight tracking website Flight Aware.

The crash happened less than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights. Photos taken at the crash site appear to show residential homes on fire.

Michael Schiavone, 37, was sitting at his home in Mayfair, a nearby neighborhood, on Friday 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 footage, he said it looked like a missile was coming down. “There was a large explosion, so I thought we were under attack for a second,” he said.

Flight data showed a jet taking off from the airport at 6:06 p.m. and disappearing from radar about 30 seconds later after climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 meters).

The plane crashed in a busy intersection near Roosevelt Mall, an outdoor shopping center where first responders were blocking traffic and onlookers crowded onto a street corner in the residential neighborhood of Rhawnhurst. Philadelphia’s emergency management office said that roads are closed in the area.

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

Jim Quinn, 56, lives about a half-mile (1 kilometer) from the crash site. He was leaving his home Friday evening when he heard the crash. “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.”

Quinn then went inside and looked at his doorbell camera footage, which captured a streak of white diving down from the sky, followed by what he described as a fireball. Quinn said that the blast shook houses in the residential neighborhood, and that it was congested with traffic that was redirected from the crash site.

The plane’s owner, Jet Rescue, provides global air ambulance services. The company, based in Mexico, 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.

A message seeking comment was left with Jet Rescue’s U.S. headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida.

The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation. The NTSB, which investigates air crashes, said it was gathering information about the crash.

Associated Press writers Rio Yamat from Las Vegas, Hallie Golden from Seattle, and Josh Cornfield from New York contributed to this report.

Share

Latest News

Related Articles
Boats

For Sale! 2016 Sea Ray 350 Sundancer – $180,000

Reel Deal Yacht is pleased to feature a meticulously maintained 2016 Sea...

Real Estate

South Florida Property Selloff: A Strategic Move for DOGE Development

Elon Musk’s Potential Purge of Federal Properties: A Look at South Florida’s...

Yachts

Latest Premium Offerings from Race Yachts

Discover the Thrill of Racing Yachts: New Builds and Brokerage Opportunities The...

Sports

No. 11 Duke takes over after halftime to beat No. 7 NC State 76-62, win 1st ACC title since 2013

Oluchi Okananwa had 22 points and 10 rebounds to help No. 11...

Sports

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 40 as Thunder top Nuggets 127-103 in matchup of West leaders

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the...

About Us

Founded by Francesca Perez in Miami in 2022, A BIT LAVISH is your go-to source for luxury living insights. Covering yachts, boats, real estate, health, and news, we bring you the best of Miami's vibrant lifestyle. Discover more with Miami's Magazine.

Newsletter

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates and articles directly to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Copyright © 2024 ABIT LAVISH. Miami's Magazine Est. 2022, All rights reserved.

Legal Notice: At A Bit Lavish, we pride ourselves on maintaining high standards of originality and respect for intellectual property. We encourage our audience to uphold these values by refraining from unauthorized copying or reproduction of any content, logo, or branding material from our website. Each piece of content, image, and design is created with care and protected under copyright law. Please enjoy and share responsibly to help us maintain the integrity of our brand. For inquiries on usage or collaborations, feel free to reach out to us +1 305.332.1942.

Translate »