A small medical transport plane with six people on board crashed shortly after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport yesterday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed. Initially, authorities reported only two individuals were aboard.
The plane, operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, had just departed for Missouri when it went down at 6:30 p.m. (23:30 GMT). The company confirmed there were four crew members, one patient, and another passenger on board.
Emergency services rushed to the crash site, a busy northeast Philadelphia area filled with shops and homes. Dramatic footage showed a massive explosion at the scene.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said, “We don’t have victim details right now, but our thoughts are with the families affected.” She added that some nearby homes and vehicles were damaged.
The crash follows a deadly collision in Washington earlier this week when an American Airlines passenger plane collided with a military helicopter at Ronald Reagan National Airport, killing all 64 people aboard the plane and the three military personnel in the helicopter.
