From the Liveblog of
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Small medevac plane crashes in Philadelphia with child, 5 others on board
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleA medevac plane has crashed in Philadelphia with a child and five others on board, the air ambulance company that operated it says, adding that it has not confirmed any survivors.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance says its aircraft crashed with four crew members, one pediatric medical patient and the patient’s escort on board.
“At this time we cannot confirm any survivors,” the company says in a statement.
US President Donald Trump writes on social media that it was “so sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged. First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job.”
The crash follows this week’s collision of an American Airlines jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, DC, which killed 67 in the deadliest airplane crash in the US since 2009.
The Federal Aviation Administration says six people were on the Learjet 55 that crashed around 6:30 p.m. local time. Local media reports it was near the Roosevelt Mall in northeast Philadelphia and that there were multiple injuries on the ground.
Video aired on local TV stations shows the plane in a sharp dive before slamming into the ground in a heavily populated area of northeast Philadelphia and exploding in a massive fireball.
At least one house and multiple cars were on fire, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The weather was cold and rainy and with low visibility at the time of the crash.
The air ambulance had left Northeast Philadelphia Airport and was headed to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri, about 1,100 miles (1,800 km) to the southwest, the FAA says in a statement.
The Times of Israel Community.