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Six Feared Dead After Medical Jet Crashes In Northeast Philadelphia

Tyler Durden's Photo
by Tyler Durden
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Three Aviation Disasters In Just Days: 

 

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Update (0850ET):

A Learjet 55 operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance crashed into a shopping center in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday night, killing all on board. The impact triggered a massive fireball that set homes and vehicles ablaze.

The New York Times reported that the Learjet 55 had six people on board, all of whom perished upon impact: 

The Learjet 55 was transporting a young female patient from Philadelphia, where she had completed treatment, to her home in Mexico, said Shai Gold, a spokesman for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which owns the plane. She was accompanied by her mother, and there were also two pilots, a doctor and a paramedic on board, he added. The patient had been treated at Shriners Children’s in Philadelphia, said the hospital’s spokesman, Mel Bower. All six people on the plane were Mexican, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said.

The twin-engine jet departed from Northeast Philadelphia Airport and was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri when it crashed just minutes into the flight.

The cause of the mid-air incident remains unclear. Authorities are investigating what occurred in the skies over Philadelphia that led the pilots to become unresponsive with the Northeast Philadelphia Airport Tower before the aircraft entered a violent descent at 11,000 feet per minute, ultimately crashing into a city street.

Potential internal factors include an oxygen tank explosion or improper load balance. Externally, a loss of flight controls due to icing or a possible drone strike cannot be ruled out. However, these theories remain speculative, as authorities have yet to confirm any details while the investigation is ongoing.

Audio from Northeast Philadelphia Airport Tower could be heard: “We have a lost aircraft. We’re not exactly sure what happened, so we’re trying to figure it out.”

Philadelphia officials have yet to confirm any fatalities to passengers or bystanders who were on the ground.

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Dramatic footage has surfaced on X showing a Learjet 55, operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, crashing in Northeast Philadelphia.

"This evening, a Learjet 55 (XA-UCI) crashed shortly after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The flight departed at 23:06 UTC, reaching a maximum altitude of 1,650 ft at 23:06:54. Granular ADS-B data shows the last message from the aircraft," flight tracking website Flightradar24 wrote on X. 

Northeast Philadelphia Airport Tower: "We have a lost aircraft." 

A whole bunch of videos from various angles showing the Learjet crash have been uploaded on X.

 CBS News Philadelphia reported that the crash occurred near Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue.

Several Philadelphia media outlets are reporting several dead. 

"We are offering all Commonwealth resources as they respond to the small private plane crash in Northeast Philly," Governor Josh Shapiro wrote on X. 

What the hell is happening in American aviation this week: 

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