Authorities sifted through burned cars and charred debris Saturday to gather clues that might explain why an air ambulance exploded into a fiery ball as it crashed to the ground in Philadelphia, leaving no survivors on board.
The small plane carrying six people, including a child who had just undergone treatment at a hospital, crashed onto a busy intersection just after takeoff from the small Northeast Philadelphia Airport.
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 confirm the number of dead and injured.
As of Saturday morning, officials confirmed seven dead — six on the jet, one person on the ground — and 19 injured.
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.
The crash scene was a large area, and authorities were working to assess the damage, Thiel said. Teams were going house to house inspecting the dwellings in the area. The plane crashed near Roosevelt Mall in a densely populated area.
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.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that all six of those on board the medical transport jet were killed. All the victims were from Mexico.
On Saturday, in a statement on the social media platform X, Sheinbaum confirmed the deaths.
“I mourn the passing of six Mexicans in the aviation accident in Philadelphia, United States. 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.
There were also casualties on the ground. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said one person who was in a car was killed and 19 others were injured.
The jet was transporting a child who had just completed treatment at Shriners Children’s hospital, her mother and four crew members.
“The patient had received care from Shriners Children’s Philadelphia and was being transported back to her home country in Mexico on a contracted air ambulance when the crash happened, Shriners spokesperson Mel Bower said in a statement. “Because of patient privacy concerns, we cannot say any more about the patient and her family at this time.”
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 rigorous training.
“When an incident like this happens, it’s shocking and surprising,” Gold told The Associated Press. “All of the aircraft are maintained, not a penny is spared because we know our mission is so critical.”
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.
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.
