Two days after a mid-air collision between a jet and an army helicopter killed more than 60 people in Washington, D.C., another jet crashed in Philadelphia on Friday in a residential neighbourhood.
The medical transport jet crashed around 30 seconds after take-off, near a shopping mall, sparking a huge blaze and setting several houses and vehicles on fire. Though the number of casualties is yet to be confirmed, more than 10 people are feared dead. The crash occurred less than 4.8km from Northeast Philadelphia Airport.
Ring doorbell camera video of the Plane crash in Philadelphia near Roosevelt Mall at Cottman and the Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia. The crash ignited a massive explosion, setting several homes on fire.
— Fredrick Van Hook (@F_VANHOOK) February 1, 2025
That plane appears to be on fire 🔥 before impact! pic.twitter.com/Ig4EWoLRMZ
The aircraft, XA-UCI, Learjet 55, which was en route to Springfield, Missouri, had four crew members and two passengers, including a “paediatric patient” on board. The Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said in a release that it cannot confirm any survivors. The jet, registered to a company Med Jets according to the flight tracking website Flight Aware, took off at 6:06pm and climbed to an altitude of 1,600 feet, according to AP, but soon disappeared from radar.
A doorbell camera, belonging to Jim Quinn, captured the plane falling from the sky and exploding in a fireball. “All we heard was a loud roar and didn't know where it was coming from. We just turned around and saw the big plume,” Quinn was quoted as saying by AP.
The jet crashed in an intersection near Roosevelt Mall, with eyewitnesses saying that it was already on fire before hitting the ground.
NEW: Dashcam video shows the plane crash in Philadelphia.
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) February 1, 2025
At least 6 dead, multiple victims on the ground pic.twitter.com/PuPE6pgB8G
President Donald Trump took to social media to express his grief, saying it was "so sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost....”
Mayor Cherelle Parker said that several homes and vehicles had been damaged. “This is still an active scene under investigation,” she said.
The crash comes two days after an American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members collided mid-air in Washington, D.C., with an army helicopter carrying three soldiers. 67 people were killed in all, in the deadliest airplane crash in the US since 2009.
