The city of Philadelphia An air ambulance transporting six people crashed Friday night close to a mall in northeast Philadelphia, killing multiple people, including one person in a car.
Capt. Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales, co-pilot Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez, paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla, Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo, patient Valentina Guzman Murillo, and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Ozuna, were the six individuals on board.
No one on board is believed to have survived, according to Jet Rescue Air Ambulance. Not all of the victims’ information were made public right away.
Mayor Cherelle Parker stated during a news briefing on Sunday that there were now 22 injured people on the ground, where many “dwellings and vehicles” were affected.
Three of the 22 are in critical condition, and five are still in the hospital, according to Parker. No more details regarding the victim’s injuries were disclosed.
“We have not, out of respect for their families and their loved ones, shared the names of any of those who have been impacted,” Parker stated on Sunday.
Around 6:30 p.m., the air ambulance crashed close to the Roosevelt Mall when it was in route from Northeast Philadelphia Airport to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.
Learjet’s flight path
At a press conference on Saturday night, Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, stated that the collision is being categorized as an accident.
The investigation’s lead investigator, Ralph Hicks, a senior aviation safety investigator with the NTSB, gave a description of the flight’s trajectory on Saturday night.
According to Hicks, the Learjet 55 arrived at Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 2:15 p.m. after leaving Florida at 12 p.m. According to him, it spent several hours waiting on the ground until taking off at roughly 6:06 p.m.
The jet rose to roughly 1,500 feet after departure, according to Hicks. It turned slightly to the right, then slightly to the left, and finally it began a “steep descent” to crash.
According to Homendy, the flight’s trajectory does not currently point to anything, and the NTSB will keep analyzing all of the material at its disposal.
She claimed that prior to the plane’s disaster, there was no communication between the flight deck and the air traffic control tower.
The Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB are looking into the matter.
According to Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all of the passengers were citizens of Mexico. Officials have gotten in touch with the relatives of all six, according to the Mexican Consulate.
In a translated statement on Facebook, the consulate stated that the required consular support is being given and that it is collaborating with the authorities to provide clarification on the situation.
According to an air ambulance company spokeswoman who talked to NBC Philadelphia, the patient was from Mexico, had traveled to the United States for life-saving medical care, and was on her way back home. According to the spokeswoman, the child would be taken home by ground ambulance from Tijuana International Airport.
NTSB searching for debris, black box
According to officials, the impact site “is roughly four to six blocks” away, and debris was discovered in isolated locations. The cause of the collision is still being looked into.
According to Homendy, the NTSB is now concentrating on gathering perishable evidence, including as debris from the area and any further information they may require for their investigation.
Another key component of the investigation is the agency’s ongoing hunt for the plane’s black box, or cockpit voice recorder.
According to Homendy, the NTSB is not yet aware of any debris or other falling objects from the aircraft prior to its downing. Witness videos are welcome at the agency, she said.
According to 29-year-old Odalis Acosta, everything trembled while she was assisting a patron at Four Seasons Diner.
“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.
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.”
After the incident, footage showed a lot of smoke and fire rising into the air.
The tragedy occurs just days after a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger airliner collided in midair near Washington, D.C., killing 67 people.
Minyvonne Burke reported from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while Maya Eaglin reported from Philadelphia.