𓃲A small medical transport jet carrying six people on Friday crashed in Philadelphia within 30 seconds after taking off. Several visuals emerged on social media showing how the plane crash set homes ablaze while scattering debris all around.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the jet was carrying a child patient, her mother and four others, all from Mexico. The child has been under treatment in Philadelphia for a life-threatening condition and was being transported home to Mexico, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance spokesperson Shai Gold told AP.
Commenting on the mishap, Mayor Cherelle Parker said at a news conference that information on fatalities wasn't immediately known but several homes and vehicles had been damaged. “This is still an active scene under investigation," she told the Associated Press.
𝓡A doorbell camera captured footage of the plane plunging and exploding as it hit the ground near a shopping mall and major roadway.
🧜The incident took place within days after deadly midair collision between a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight near Washington DC's Ronald Reagan National Airport killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft. The massive aviation disaster is considered the deadliest in the history of the United States since the November 2001 plane crash that killed all 260 people onboard.
About The Plane Crash
⛎It has been reported that the crash happened less than three miles from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights. The plane crashed in a busy intersection near Roosevelt Mall, an outdoor shopping center in the densely populated neighborhood of Rhawnhurst.
🧸After a preliminary investigation, it has been revealed that the plane, a Learjet 55, quickly disappeared from radar after taking off from the airport at 6:06 pm and climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 meters). It was en route to Springfield, Missouri, and registered to a company operating as Med Jets, according to the flight tracking website Flight Aware.
Emergency Services Deployed
🌟A continuous stream of police vehicles and fire trucks were promptly deployed into the scene, taking over business parking lots as emergency responders to the crash and fire directed people away and set up a perimeter stretching blocks in each direction.
💎Governor Josh Shapiro said he is offering all “Commonwealth resources as they respond to the small private plane crash in Northeast Philly.”
🐻The plane's owner, Jet Rescue, provides global air ambulance services. The company, based in Mexico, flew baseball hall of famer David Ortiz to Boston after he was shot in the Dominican Republic in 2019 and was involved in transporting patients critically ill with COVID-19.
ღA message seeking comment was left with Jet Rescue's US headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida.
(With AP inputs)
