A bronze statue of William Penn, the founder of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, located atop the Philadelphia City Hall
A Med Jets business jet with six people on board crashed in a neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia during the night of January 30, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The aircraft that crashed was a Learjet 55 that is equipped with ten passenger and two in the cockpit, the manufacturer’s website said.
The Mexican-registered jet was operating as an air ambulance by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, a Miami/Mexico-based organiztion. It crashed 40 seconds after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 6:06 p.m. local time.
The plane struck multiple buildings and vehicles in the course of its crash landing which in turn incited a fire and explosions, killing one person on the ground. Another person was hit by aircraft debris that broke through a window at a diner where the victim was eating. That person is expected to survive.
Communications of air-traffic controllers to the ill-fated plane were captured by LiveATC.net as they tried to get in touch with the pilots.
“Medevac…(inaudible)…056. Northeast Tower. How do you hear this transmission?” // “Medevac Medservice 056. Northeast Tower.” // “This is 755. We have a lost aircraft. We’re not exactly sure what happened so we’re trying to figure it out.”
Officials said it was not clear what led to the crash, but it could potentially be aircraft maintenance or crew training.
The pediatric patient had undergone a medical procedure at Phildelphia Shringers Hospital and the flight was en route to Tijuana International Airport in Mexico, via Springfield-Branson National Airport in Greene County, Missouri.
On board were the pediatric patient, her mother, and four crew members including a physician and another member of the medical staff.
The incident was the second fatal crash involving the medevac company in two years. In 2023, a Learjet 35 was involved in a runway excursion after landing at Cuernavaca Airport, Mexico, in which all four passengers and crew members on board were killed.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
