Seven dead, 19 injured in air ambulance crash in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities sifted through burned cars, damaged homes and charred debris Saturday to gather clues that might explain why an air ambulance exploded into a fiery ball as it crashed on a busy Philadelphia street, killing seven and leaving no survivors on board.

The small plane carrying six people, including a child who had just undergone treatment at a hospital, crashed just after takeoff from the small Northeast Philadelphia Airport, creating what witnesses described as a massive fireball and a chaotic street scene that left houses on fire, businesses damaged and cars destroyed.

Authorities couldn't say why the jet crashed and Adam Thiel, the city’s managing director, said it could be days — or more — until authorities are able to fully count the number of dead and injured across a massive impact area spanning blocks in a densely populated residential area.

Seven dead and 19 injured, although the casualty toll could go higher

As of Saturday morning, officials said there were seven dead — six on the jet, one person on the ground — and 19 injured. The plane hit the ground just after 6 p.m., during a busy Friday evening dinner hour. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said the plane was aloft for a very short period of time before it crashed.

“All of sudden I heard like a ‘boom,’ and I thought it was a thunderstorm,” said Selkuc Koc, a waiter at the Four Seasons Diner on Cottman Avenue. “And I get up and look at the smoke and the fire, it was like a balloon, I thought it was a gas station blew up.”

Spokespersons for hospitals treating the injured, Temple University Hospital-Jeanes and Jefferson Health, said most of the patients they saw had been treated and released by midday Saturday, but at least three were admitted and remain hospitalized.

One patron of the Four Seasons Diner was hit and injured by a small, heavy metal object that flew through the window, Koc said.

Crash scene extends for at least four city blocks

The crash scene was at least four to six blocks, and authorities were working to assess the damage, including going house to house to inspect the dwellings in the area, Thiel said.

It is “entirely possible” that there will be changes to the casualty figures, Thiel said. There are “a lot of unknowns” as to who was where on the streets of the neighborhood when the plane crashed.

Of the six people on board the medical transport jet, one was a child who had just completed treatment at Shriners Children’s hospital, one was her mother and four were crew members, officials said.

All victims on jet were from Mexico

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said all the victims were from Mexico. In a statement on the social media platform X, Sheinbaum said she mourned their deaths.

"Consular authorities are in constant contact with the families; I’ve asked the Foreign Affairs Secretary to support whatever is needed. My solidarity with their loved ones and friends,” she said in a statement translated from Spanish.

Of the casualties on the ground, Parker said one person who was in a car was killed and 19 others were injured.

The child on the medical transport jet had just completed treatment at Shriners Children's Philadelphia hospital. Hospital officials said that, because of patient privacy concerns, they couldn't say more about the patient and her family.

Tijuana was the flight's final destination after a stop in Missouri.

Jet Rescue Air Ambulance is based in Mexico and has operations both there and in the U.S. It operated the Learjet 55, which was registered in Mexico.

Jet Rescue spokesperson Shai Gold said a seasoned crew operated the plane and all flight crews undergo rigrous training.

“When an incident like this happens, it’s shocking and surprising,” Gold said. “All of the aircraft are maintained, not a penny is spared because we know our mission is so critical.”

Crash comes on the heels of devastating DC midair collision

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

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

In Philadelphia, a doorbell camera captured video of the plane plunging in a streak of white and exploding as it hit the ground near a shopping mall and major roadway.

“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,” said Jim Quinn, the owner of the doorbell camera.

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

Learjet disappears from radar after taking off

The Learjet 55 quickly disappeared 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.

Shortly after 6 p.m., audio recorded by LiveATC captured an air traffic controller telling “Medevac Medservice 056” to turn right when departing. About 30 seconds later it repeats the request before asking, “You on frequency?” Minutes later, the controller says, “We have a lost aircraft. We’re not exactly sure what happened, so we’re trying to figure it out. For now the field is going to be closed.”

Michael Schiavone, 37, was sitting at his home in Mayfair, a nearby neighborhood, when he heard a loud bang and his house shook.

“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 patients critically ill with COVID-19.

The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation. The NTSB said an investigator arrived Friday and more officials would be there Saturday.

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Levy reported from Harrisburg. Associated Press writers Hallie Golden, John O'Connor and Cedar Attanasio contributed to this report.