A small plane crashed in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday evening, causing fires and casualties. According to the FAA, a Learjet 55 went down at around 6:30 carrying six passengers. NBC10 Philadelphia reports that the flight was an “angel flight” en route to Mexico. A girl who had been receiving lifesaving medical care in the North East was returning to Mexico with her parent, a doctor and a medic. ABC6 indicated that it fell near Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard. The plane had just taken off from Northeast Philadelphia airport, but it was in the air for only 40 seconds before plummeting into a residential neighborhood.
Multiple videos posted to social media show the moment when the plane crashed, resulting in a massive fireball. Others show buildings on fire in the residential area and the Roosevelt mall.
According to eyewitnesses, several cars also caught fire. Since the plane had just taken off for a long flight, its fuel tanks were full. It seems impossible that anyone survived on board. City council members have announced that the crash resulted in “mass casualties”.
Plane crash on Cottman Ave, Philadelphia pic.twitter.com/FCWOCaQVNo
— SJ (@as1lmhsa) February 1, 2025
The FAA has stated that it will assist the NTSB in its investigation. This marks the second plane crash in three days, after an American Airlines regional jet collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac river on Wednesday night, killing 67 people and leaving no survivors. That incident was the deadliest aviation accident in over twenty years.
It is still unknown what caused the plane to go down so shortly after it took off.
