A medical plane carrying a child patient and five others crashes in Philadelphia, igniting homes.

Pictures capture the moment a small plane crashes in Philadelphia

By  NEWS BLND 360

Updated 10:54 PM EST, January 31, 2025

PHILADELPHIA (NB360) — Shortly after taking off Friday evening, a medical transport jet carrying a child patient, her mother, and four others crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood, erupting in a fireball that consumed several homes.

Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which operated the Learjet 55, stated: “We cannot confirm any survivors.” There was no immediate information on whether anyone on the ground was killed.

All six individuals on board were from Mexico. The child had received treatment in Philadelphia for a life-threatening condition and was being flown home, according to Jet Rescue spokesperson Shai Gold. The flight was intended to reach Tijuana after a stop in Missouri.

The patient and her mother were accompanied by four crew members. Gold mentioned that this was an experienced crew and that everyone involved in these flights undergoes rigorous training.

“When an incident like this occurs, it’s shocking and surprising,” Gold told News Blend 360. “All of the aircraft are maintained meticulously, as we understand our mission is crucial.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro stated at a news conference late Friday that officials anticipated fatalities in the “awful aviation disaster.”

“We know that there will be loss,” he said.

The plane was registered in Mexico. Jet Rescue is based in Mexico and operates both there and in the U.S.

The crash happened just two days after the deadliest U.S. air disaster in a generation. On Wednesday night, an American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members collided midair in Washington, D.C., with an Army helicopter carrying three soldiers. There were no survivors.

Pictures capture the moment a small plane crashes in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia crash was the second fatal incident in 15 months for Jet Rescue. In 2023, five crew members died when their plane overran a runway in the central Mexican state of Morelos and crashed into a hillside.

The crash occurred less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights.

The Learjet 55 quickly vanished from radar after taking off from the airport at 6:06 p.m. and climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 meters). It was registered to a company operating as Med Jets, according to the flight tracking website Flight Aware.

In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, President Donald Trump said: “So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia.”

“More innocent souls lost,” he added. “Our people are totally engaged.”

A steady stream of police vehicles and fire trucks initially responded at the crash site, taking over business parking lots. Within about an hour, the sound of sirens and shouted orders had subsided into relative quiet at the edges of the closed-off area, and darkness settled in as drivers passing by peered out trying to see what was happening.

The plane crashed in a busy intersection near Roosevelt Mall, an outdoor shopping center in the densely populated neighborhood of Rhawnhurst.

One cellphone video captured by a witness moments after the crash showed a chaotic scene with debris scattered across the intersection. A wall of orange glowed just beyond as a plume of black smoke rose into the sky and sirens blared.

Michael Schiavone, 37, was sitting at his home in Mayfair, a nearby neighborhood, when he heard a loud bang and his house shook. He said it felt like a mini earthquake and when he checked his home security camera, it looked like a missile came down.

“There was a large explosion, so I thought we were under attack for a second,” he said.

Jet Rescue, which provides global air ambulance services, flew baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz to Boston after he was shot in the Dominican Republic in 2019 and was involved in transporting critically ill COVID-19 patients.

The FAA stated that the National Transportation Safety Board would lead the investigation. The NTSB mentioned that an investigator had arrived and more officials would be there Saturday.