A medical jet with six people on board crashed near the Roosevelt Mall in Northeast Philadelphia on the evening of Friday, January 31, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the global ambulance flight company operating the plane, said its Learjet 55 crashed while departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at about 6:30pm.
Four crew members and two passengers were on the plane. The crash killed six Mexican nationals on board and one person who was in a car. At least one person on the ground was also killed and at least 19 were injured, Philadelphia officials said.
A girl who had received crucial treatment at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia was on board the plane with her mother, traveling back to her home country, The Inquirer said. Local aviation experts said the evidence suggests that the accident was beyond human control.
“The good people of Northeast Philadelphia this morning at daybreak walked out from their homes, came down from their stoops, and saw carnage in their communities,” Governor Josh Shapiro said. “We also saw the very best of Northeast Philly, neighbor helping neighbor, folks looking out for one another.”
The Philadelphia Police Department is asking locals to send videos from the crash.
“As you know, the PPD, along with our local, state, and federal partners are working tirelessly to gather all evidence pertaining to the plane crash,” officials said in a statement Saturday afternoon. “We are kindly asking that any social media posts or videos that you have obtained of this crash be forwarded.
Fox News obtained audio which reveals 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.”
Their video coverage is below:
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Screengrab: Fox News