A small medical evacuation aircraft allegedly with six individuals aboard, including a child, crashed in Philadelphia, igniting into flames and causing several houses to catch fire, authorities stated, noting that there were reports of injuries and fatalities.
The incident on Friday night occurred only days after the fatal mid-air crash between a passenger plane and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter close to Washington airport, resulting in 67 fatalities.
In a statement, the air ambulance service Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, based in Mexico, announced that the aircraft went down while carrying four crew members, a pediatric medical patient, and that patient’s escort, according to news agency Reuters.
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“At this time we cannot confirm any survivors,” it added.
The Mexican government meanwhile stated that everyone onboard the plane were citizens of Mexico.
The child was a girl heading home with Tijuana as her final destination, according to Shai Gold of Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, who specializes in corporate strategy and spoke to CNN. He mentioned that her mother was on board as well.
“We are terribly shocked by this tragic turn of events,” Gold said. “This was a very seasoned crew. We are a leading air ambulance company, we fly 600 to 700 times a year.”
As per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Learjet 55 plane went down “following its departure from Northeast Philadelphia Airport.” The aircraft was en route to the Springfield-Branson National Airport located in Missouri.
Additionally confirming the crash, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated, “there were allegedly 6 individuals on board,” and mentioned that the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will conduct a joint investigation into the incident.
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Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker informed reporters that she lacked details about the number of victims. The current state is “all hands on deck, that’s our position at the moment,” she was reported as saying.
An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer mentioned that at least one home and several vehicles were ablaze, with reduced visibility caused by rain during the crash.
Flight records indicated that the plane departed from the airport at 6:06 pm (local time) and vanished from radar roughly 30 seconds later after ascending to a height of 1,600 feet.
