According to the firm that runs the aircraft, an air ambulance carrying six passengers crashed on Friday night close to a mall in northeast Philadelphia.
Four crew members, a pediatric patient, and the patient’s escort were on board the aircraft, but Jet Rescue Air Ambulance claimed in a statement that it was unable to confirm any survival.
“Our immediate concern is for the patient’s family, our personnel, their families and other victims that may have been hurt on the ground,” the business stated. It’s improbable that everyone on board survived, according to a spokeswoman.
At a press conference on Saturday morning, Mayor Cherelle Parker stated that 19 people were hurt and that an individual in a car was also killed. She claimed that a number of homes and cars were affected.
According to a representative for the organization, three of the six individuals with crash-related injuries were treated and released, while the other three were sent to Temple University Hospital Jeanes Campus, which is located close to Northeast Philadelphia.
When the plane hit the ground, it was unclear where the patients were.
According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Learjet 55 took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport on its way to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.
According to Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the patient, escort, doctor, paramedic, pilot, and copilot were all on board.
Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on X late Friday night that all six people on board the Learjet were Mexican citizens. It stated that its consulates were prepared to help family members of victims on the aircraft.
Officials have gotten in touch with the relatives of all six, according to the Mexican Consulate.
The Consulate stated in a translated statement on Facebook that “the necessary consular assistance is being provided and working with the authorities to clarify what has happened.”
The patient was a child who had been to the United States for “life-saving treatment” and was leaving for Mexico, a company representative named Shai Gold told NBC Philadelphia.
“The course of treatment was completed. We had a commitment to take her back to Mexico because she was ready to go home,” Gold stated. “Ultimate destination was the Tijuana International Airport and was scheduled to go home by ground ambulance.”
He claimed that a global charity had paid for the flight.
The kid was traveling with her mother after receiving treatment at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia facility, according to a statement from the organization’s spokeswoman.
“Shriners Children s is heartbroken to confirm that one of our pediatric patients and the child s mother were aboard the Jet Rescue Air Ambulance that crashed in Philadelphia this evening,” said a spokesman.
None of the passengers’ identities have been made public.
Officials say the plane crashed at 6:30 p.m. close to Roosevelt Mall, an outdoor shopping complex around three miles from the airport.
When everything trembled, 29-year-old Odalis Acosta was assisting a patron at Four Seasons Diner.
The explosion was audible to you. She told NBC News, “I look to the side and I see the big ball of explosion through the window.”
“The glass around them shattered, and people in the restaurant fell to the ground,” she claimed. A big piece of metal struck a customer in the head.
Fire and smoke were visible on the scene of the collision.
The National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, will look into it, the FAA stated. The NTSB will oversee the inquiry and keep everyone informed.
Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, stated on X that he is in communication with officials in Philadelphia and will update his followers as soon as he receives information.
“We are offering all Commonwealth resources as they respond to the small private plane crash in Northeast Philly,” he stated.
An object in the air was seen descending at an angle in the distance on home camera footage of the collision. Then, a fireball appears behind a few rooflines.
According to veteran FAA air traffic controller Rev. Todd Sheridan Yeary, given the aircraft’s stellar reputation and the fact that it was cleared to take off, something probably happened just after its wheels touched down.
On NBC News NOW, he stated, “Something happened rather catastrophically after the aircraft lifted off,” “We don t know exactly what it is.”
According to him, the jet’s model is “high performance.”
When Yeary said, “It is very reliable,” “It is very unusual to see what we ve just witnessed.”
According to National Weather Service statistics for Philadelphia, the air temperature was 49 degrees at the time of the crash, and just before 6 p.m., there was light rain, some fog, and a wind gust of 30 mph.
Days have passed since the deadliest airplane accident to hit the United States in recent memory.
Over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., a passenger airliner and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided in midair on Wednesday, killing 67 people.