Medical Plane Crash in Philadelphia Leaves Seven Dead and 19 Injured

A medical transport jet crashed just 30 seconds after taking off from a neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia. All six occupants of the plane, who were all Mexican nationals, were killed. The crash also led to fires in several homes and vehicles, killing one person in a car and leaving 19 injured. CNN reported, citing the Federal Aviation Administration, that the aircraft was a small Learjet 55 and crashed around 6:30 PM on Friday, February 1, after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. According to the report, the private jet had six occupants and was headed to Branson-Springfield National Airport in Missouri. Pennsylvania State Police stated that the plane was on a medical mission. Rescue sources also indicated that the aircraft had four crew members and two passengers, one of whom was a sick child returning home from the hospital. All occupants of the American Airlines plane were killed; the black box was discovered. Additionally, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on social media: 'Seeing the plane crash in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was very sad. Innocent lives were lost.' This incident occurred just two days after a collision between an American Airlines passenger plane and a U.S. Army helicopter near Washington, which left 67 dead. Reports indicate that the plane crashed near the Roosevelt shopping center in Northeast Philadelphia, injuring several others. A video broadcast on local television shows the plane rapidly descending, followed by a large explosion.