The medical ambulance jet that crashed on Friday night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was operated by a company that had previously been involved in another fatal crash over a year ago. The company, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, was responsible for both incidents.
The crash on Friday involved a Learjet 55 that went down while taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at approximately 6:30 p.m. The incident occurred near Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia.
There were a total of six individuals onboard during the Philadelphia crash, including four crew members and two passengers, a pediatric patient, and her mother. They were all Mexican citizens, and the flight was headed to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the number of crew members and passengers. The crew members included a pilot, a copilot, a physician and a paramedic.
Debris from an aircraft lies on the ground at the site of a plane crash in Philadelphia on Friday. (Reuters/Rachel Wisniewski)
The plane was scheduled to fly from Philadelphia to Tijuana International Airport, with one technical stop in Springfield, Missouri, for fuel, Air Ambulance spokesperson Shai Gold told Fox News.
The patient was in the U.S. for lifesaving medical treatment and was released to go home after treatment. The FAA confirmed the plane was on its way to Missouri at the time of the crash.
“The plane was loaded with jet fuel that’s highly flammable,” Gold said. “There is no indication that anybody survived, and by the debris field, I would be pleasantly surprised to learn otherwise.”
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said at a news conference Friday night that she was unable to confirm the number of fatalities.
A senior Philadelphia fire official told Fox News the fires caused by the crash are “now under control.” The official said when the plane went down, it sprayed jet fuel, soaking nearby row homes, which went up in flames.
First responders work the scene after what witnesses say was a plane crash in Philadelphia, Friday. (Matt Rourke/AP)
Six houses and six cars caught on fire, the official said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and the FAA will assist. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Philadelphia said it was also on site investigating.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X that he had briefed President Donald Trump and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
