Medical transport jet with six people aboard crashes in Philadelphia, setting homes ablaze

The crash happened less than 3 miles (4. 8 kilometers) from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights.
First responders work the scene after a small plane crashed in Philadelphia
First responders work the scene after a small plane crashed in PhiladelphiaPhoto | AP
Updated on
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PHILADELPHIA: A medical transport jet crashed in a residential neighborhood of Philadelphia on Friday evening, setting homes ablaze and scattering debris just 30 seconds after takeoff. The crash, which occurred near a shopping mall and a major roadway, left residents rattled as they witnessed the aircraft plummet from the sky in a streak of white before exploding on impact.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that two people were on board the Learjet 55 when it crashed less than three miles from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The aircraft, registered to a company operating as Med Jets, had taken off at 6:06 p.m. en route to Springfield, Missouri, and quickly disappeared from radar after reaching an altitude of 1,600 feet.

Footage captured by a doorbell camera showed the aircraft descending rapidly before erupting into flames upon impact. Jim Quinn, the owner of the camera, described the moment, stating, “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.”

The crash site, near Roosevelt Mall in the Rhawnhurst neighbourhood, quickly became a scene of chaos. First responders blocked traffic as onlookers gathered at street corners, watching as emergency crews worked to contain the fire. A witness’s cell phone video captured the devastation, showing debris scattered across an intersection, thick black smoke rising, and sirens blaring in the background.

Michael Schiavone, a resident of the nearby Mayfair neighborhood, described feeling what seemed like a small earthquake when the jet hit the ground. After reviewing his home security footage, he said the impact looked like a missile descending. “There was a large explosion, so I thought we were under attack for a second,” he said.

Governor Josh Shapiro announced that state resources were being offered to assist in the response efforts. The city’s emergency management office confirmed that several roads in the area had been closed.

The aircraft’s owner, Jet Rescue, is a Mexico-based company specializing in global air ambulance services. The company had previously transported baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz to Boston after he was shot in the Dominican Republic in 2019 and played a role in airlifting critically ill COVID-19 patients. A request for comment was sent to Jet Rescue’s U.S. headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida.

The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the National Transportation Safety Board would lead the investigation into the crash. The NTSB confirmed it was gathering information as officials worked to determine the cause of the accident.

The Philadelphia crash comes just two days after the country’s deadliest aviation disaster in nearly 25 years. On Wednesday night, an American airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided midair with a U.S. Army helicopter carrying three soldiers over Washington, D.C. There were no survivors in that tragedy.

As investigators begin their work, the Philadelphia community remains in shock, grappling with the devastation left in the wake of yet another fatal air disaster.

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