At Least Seven Killed in Air Ambulance Plane Crash in Philadelphia

What Happened?

A Learjet 55 owned by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance carrying six passengers crashed into a building complex in Philadelphia shortly after takeoff. 

In addition to killing all those on board, at least one person on the ground was killed and over a dozen were injured by the crash.

The crash occurred less than three miles from the airport and culminated in what the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) called a ‘high-impact’ crash.

That means the plane appears to have struck the building at a sharp angle and high rate of speed. Video of the crash shows an explosion but because of the nighttime darkness it’s difficult to see the plane before impact.

Why it Matters

The Philadelphia crash is the second major air disaster in the U.S. in the past week though the cause remains unknown. Takeoff and landing are the most critical phases of flight for aircraft, with takeoff being the most critical because aircraft taking off don’t have much altitude or airspeed with which to use in response to an onboard emergency. 

Because the Learjet 55 hit a structure and disintegrated into many different pieces, finding all the pieces of the plane will take longer, meaning that the investigation will itself likely be a lengthy process. The crash scene encompasses several city blocks which will also add to the difficulty of finding key evidence and components for investigators.

Air traffic controllers reportedly did not hear any unusual transmissions from the doomed plane, but so far investigators have not located the cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorders.

Both will be crucial to helping investigators reconstruct the final moments of flight for the plane so they can determine what caused the crash. There was no inclement weather at the time of the crash, which means the most likely cause will probably be mechanical failure, pilot error, or a combination of both.

Although presently there isn’t enough evidence to draw conclusions.

Two major air disasters happening so close together is unusual though not unprecedented. Still, the proximity of two crashes raises serious questions about the safety of flight operations in the United States. 

According to the NTSB ‘preliminary investigations revealed that the flight climbed to about 1,500 feet, made a slight right turn, then a left turn, before going into a steep descent and making a high impact crash.’

How it Affects You

Air crash investigations can take years to complete even though investigators are almost always under pressure to finish as quickly as possible. 

Rushed conclusions and sloppy investigating are of no value. So we will have to wait until investigators are able to sift through the rubble, gather evidence, then evaluate what they found to see if a likely cause can be determined.