Six passengers aboard and one person on the ground were killed, and local hospitals reported at least 20 people had been treated for injuries from the crash.
According to the flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 and a spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the Mexico-based company that operated the aircraft, the plane's flight pattern began at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on Friday at noon before landing at Northeast Philadelphia around p.
The small plane, a Learjet 55, departed Northeast Philadelphia Airport around p. The crash caused an explosion that set several homes ablaze near the area, CBS News Philadelphia reported. According to a statement from Jet Rescue Air Ambulance provided by Gold, the six onboard included four crew members, a pediatric patient, and the patient's escort.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed all six people β all of whom were Mexican citizens β were killed in the crash. According to Gold, though none of the people aboard the Mexico-registered aircraft had jobs or homes in the U. In a Saturday morning news conference, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said one person inside a car was killed on the ground. She warned that the total count of injuries may change as investigators continue working the scene and tracking down who has been taken to hospitals.
The pediatric patient was a girl from Mexico who had received treatment at Shriners Children's Hospital Philadelphia, said hospital spokesperson Mel Bower. Her treatment had ended and was on her way home when the plane crashed. Willard Shepard, a pilot who flew in the U. Air Force and is an aviation attorney, spoke with CBS News Miami, saying there was no chance at the speed the plane was falling. And just to give you an idea that's the kind of descent we would do on a bombing run in a fighter jet from a high altitude," he said.
