A medical transport plane carrying a pediatric patient, her mother, and four crew members crashed and exploded near homes in Philadelphia Friday, resulting in the deaths of all six people on board and one person on the ground. The crash occurred shortly after 6:00 p.m. near the Roosevelt Mall in Northeast Philadelphia, causing a massive fireball and damaging several homes and vehicles.
The plane, a Learjet 55, was operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance and was headed to Tijuana, Mexico, with a stop in Missouri.
Chilling audio from an air traffic control tower at Northeast Philadelphia Airport revealed the final moments before the crash. Operators were desperately trying to make contact with the Learjet 55 before it crashed, but received no response.
"What’s going on down there?" one air traffic controller can be heard saying.
"We have a lost aircraft. We’re not exactly sure what happened. So, we’re trying to figure it out," replies another air traffic controller. "The field is going to be closed so no inbounds-outbounds."
At least 19 people were injured, with most being released from hospitals, but the casualty figures may change as the investigation continues. The pediatric patient, a six-year-old girl, had been receiving life-saving treatment at Shriners Children's Hospital in Philadelphia for a condition not easily treated in Mexico.
The Mexican government confirmed that all six people on board the plane were Mexican nationals, and President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her condolences to the families of the victims.
"So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged," President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social wrote. "First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job. More to follow. God Bless you all."
Vice President JD Vance commenting on X, called the situation "very sad."
"May God bless the victims and their families," Vance wrote.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X that he briefed Trump and other officials on the disaster.
"Just briefed the President and @GovernorShapiro from FAA HQ. I offered the full support of the @USDOT to the Governor and local officials," Duffy wrote. "Investigators are on site."
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the crash, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also involved. The cause of the crash is unknown as of the time of publishing this story.
During a news conference Saturday afternoon, the NTSB said the flight originated in Opa-Locka, Florida, and arrived at Northeast Philadelphia Airport at about 2:15 p.m.
The plane remained on the ground for a few hours before departing runway two after sunset, at about 6:06 p.m., and climbed to about 1,500 feet.
“We were looking at GPS data on the aircraft,” said NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy. “[The plane made] a slight right turn, followed by a slight left turn, and then a steep descent toward the ground, where it crashed. The flight lasted less than a minute.”
Homendy noted the right and left turns right before the crash “[don’t] really suggest anything right now.”
The crash is still classified as an accident.
Crews have found the two engines and are searching for the cockpit voice recorder, which might provide more information.
However, the debris field extends four to five blocks and could take days to weeks to collect, according to the NTSB. Once picked up, crews will move debris to a secure location for evaluation.
The NTSB said it is likely the black box is very damaged.
“I want to stress this was a high impact crash, and the plane is highly fragmented,” Homendy said. “[The black box] could be intact, but likely it is very damaged. It may be fragmented.”
