PA - Small plane crashes in Northeast Philadelphia

Captain Juan Browne from the Blancolirio channel on YT just stated he does not believe the plane was in a stall as is being conjectured on the internet. He is leaning toward spacial disorientation. Also he does not think believe the jet was on fire before it crashed (as I had believed), he said the bright light seen on the videos is from the landing lights.

My condolences to all affected by this tragedy.
This makes me think of the pilot, who has flown this aircraft, who stated in an interview that you have to be aware and super attentive 200 feet ahead of your position. It's also been described as being a "badass" plane, and one pilot I read stated "it can bite you".
Momentary lapse in attention, causing perhaps spacial disorientation could be a factor.
At the same time, I think the pilots here are not new to nor inexperienced with this aircraft, as it is regularly used for med vacs.
Who knows, I hope the investigation will find the cause of this tragedy.
 
An earlier linked account says that the plane descended towards the ground at 11,000 feet per minute. If that's the case, the plane will break up during descent, as it's structural capacity would be exceeded. I hope the reason for this crash can be determined.

It is too bad this Learjet probably has no black box. The investigation will have to find as much of the debris as possible, and plot all of the locations.
I have read a lot about plane crashes for the past 10+ years. MOO is that something caused the plane to stall. Evidently it crashed within just a minute or two after takeoff. Airport ATC initiated the handoff and didn’t hear anything back from the plane afterwards. Very sad.
 

2/1/25

PHILADELPHIA — The City of Philadelphia issued the following update after the incident last night in Northeast Philadelphia in which a small medical service jet crashed along Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia. This continues to be an ongoing investigation and the situation remains active.

The crash occurred shortly after the aircraft, a Learjet 55 en route to Missouri, departed from the Philadelphia Northeast Airport at 6:06 p.m. approximately 3.5 miles away from the crash site. The medical transport plane crashed into a nearby residential neighborhood shortly after takeoff. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Fire companies arrived on the scene at 6:11 p.m. and found heavy fire coming from five residences and multiple vehicles and debris strewn across Cottman Avenue. A second alarm was struck quickly and then a third. This brought more than 150 PFD members to the scene for the response. It took two hours for the incident to be placed under control.

Today, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker confirmed there were six people onboard the plane — a pediatric patient, her mother, and a four-person flight crew. All six passengers on the plane were killed in the crash. The City has confirmed that at least one other person perished in this tragedy – an individual in a car. As of this release, at least 19 people have reported injuries and are being treated at various hospitals in the area.
 

2/1/25

Investigators are in search of remaining aircraft pieces from the small plane that plummeted near a Philadelphia shopping center on Friday night, killing all six people aboard and one person on the ground.

On Saturday evening, National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said authorities have recovered the two engines from the aircraft, but the voice recorder from the cockpit, commonly called a black box, remains missing.

"We are still looking for it. It could be  intact but likely it is very — it is damaged. It may be fragmented," she said at a press conference.

Homendy added that authorities can still complete their investigation without the recording device, but it is a critical piece and its location remains "the biggest question right now." She also said the aircraft's black box was the color orange.
 

Shriners Children’s Philadelphia has been treating kids for nearly 100 years, first opening in Northeast Philadelphia before relocating to its current facility on North Broad Street, near Temple University’s Health Science Campus. The hospital specializes in orthopedic care, spinal cord injuries, rehabilitation, and reconstructive surgery for children up to 18 years old.

It’s not known what the child was being treated for or how long she had been at Shriners before being picked up by the Jet Air Rescue team ahead of Friday’s ill-fated flight.

Shriners Children’s operates a hospital in Mexico City, providing specialized pediatric orthopedic and burn care, and has several clinics across the country, including in Tijuana where the flight was headed.



 
Valentina had been in Philadelphia since August 2024, receiving treatment for myelomeningocele, a severe spinal cord malformation, at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia, family friends told Reforma. She had been discharged on Jan. 31 and was returning home with her mother when their Learjet 55 (XA-UCI) crashed just 30 seconds after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

Valentina had battled hydrocephalus and paralysis, conditions caused by her spinal disorder, and underwent months of extensive therapies at Shriners, according to family friend Cesar Esparza.

 
Valentina had been in Philadelphia since August 2024, receiving treatment for myelomeningocele, a severe spinal cord malformation, at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia, family friends told Reforma. She had been discharged on Jan. 31 and was returning home with her mother when their Learjet 55 (XA-UCI) crashed just 30 seconds after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

Valentina had battled hydrocephalus and paralysis, conditions caused by her spinal disorder, and underwent months of extensive therapies at Shriners, according to family friend Cesar Esparza.

Absolutely heartbreaking
 
.

Cockpit Voice Recorder Located




Altitude = Distance above Ground
ASN = Aviation Safety Network
ATC = Air Traffic Control
AVGAS = Aviation Gas = 6 Pounds per Gallon
C.G. = Center of Gravity
CVR = Cockpit Voice Recorder
DOT = Department of Transportation
EGPWS = Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System
Elevation = Distance above Sea Level
ELT = Emergency Locator Transmitter
EMS = Emergency Medical Services
FAA = Federal Aviation Agency
FDR = Flight Date Recorder
ID'd = Identified
IFR = Instrument Flight Rules
ILS = Instrument Landing System Approach
Knot = 1.15 Miles per Hour [247 Kt. = 284 MPH]
ME = Medical Examiner
NTSB = National Transportation Safety Board
Runway 24 = West South-West
VFR = Visual Flight Rules


May the TwentyTwo(22) Survivors
Have a Full and Rapid Recovery.

.
 
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I have read a lot about plane crashes for the past 10+ years. MOO is that something caused the plane to stall. Evidently it crashed within just a minute or two after takeoff. Airport ATC initiated the handoff and didn’t hear anything back from the plane afterwards. Very sad.
If a plane like this stalled, would it plummet to the ground like a meteor (as did this plane) or would it be more of a glide that the pilot(s) could attempt to recover from? The speed and angle of the descent are truly horrifying.

And what is to be made of the “moan” that was allegedly audible on a ATC recording from the the cockpit? Has anything been said by officials as to whether this report is legitimate?

As of tonight, the confirmed death toll is still 7. The little boy (10 y/o) that was critical has been updgraded (thank God!) and he sounds like an amazing hero who may have saved the life of his little sister. Prayers for a speedy and full recovery to this little boy.

Another family is looking for a relative who was shopping at this location and has been missing since. Prayers to him and his family, too, as well as all of the other victims, their families/friends and everyone impacted by this. I know it is very small consolation to those who have been directly impacted by this, but given the extremely high-density of this area it is absolutely amazing that the death toll and injuries is not significantly worse. Had it happened two blocks in either direction (instead of at the entrance to the shopping mall & parking lot) this could have been SOOOO much worse. My mom goes to Fox Chase Cancer Center for f/u and this is a huge hospital only 2.8 miles from the crash site. And just off the mall site, the density of houses and businesses is substantial.
 
To follow up on my previous post, my friend checked her ring cam, it didn't get anything, motion sensored and facing the wrong way. However, my contractor called me this morning. One of his workers was driving in the area at the time, and their truck ended up kinda involved. The worker is traumatized, but physically okay. The truck is with the FBI, because it has debris and human remains in it. He sent me a video, but I haven't watched it yet. He warned me that it's very graphic. His worker is now in the care of a psychiatrist after what he saw. He is a good guy, here on a green card from Italy, excellent worker and person. He also said that there seems to be a lot of casualties that haven't been announced, but MOO, second hand info.
 
If a plane like this stalled, would it plummet to the ground like a meteor (as did this plane) or would it be more of a glide that the pilot(s) could attempt to recover from? The speed and angle of the descent are truly horrifying.

And what is to be made of the “moan” that was allegedly audible on a ATC recording from the the cockpit? Has anything been said by officials as to whether this report is legitimate?

As of tonight, the confirmed death toll is still 7. The little boy (10 y/o) that was critical has been updgraded (thank God!) and he sounds like an amazing hero who may have saved the life of his little sister. Prayers for a speedy and full recovery to this little boy.

Another family is looking for a relative who was shopping at this location and has been missing since. Prayers to him and his family, too, as well as all of the other victims, their families/friends and everyone impacted by this. I know it is very small consolation to those who have been directly impacted by this, but given the extremely high-density of this area it is absolutely amazing that the death toll and injuries is not significantly worse. Had it happened two blocks in either direction (instead of at the entrance to the shopping mall & parking lot) this could have been SOOOO much worse. My mom goes to Fox Chase Cancer Center for f/u and this is a huge hospital only 2.8 miles from the crash site. And just off the mall site, the density of houses and businesses is substantial.
As a fearful flyer I can't tell you how many self help books and videos I have looked at. "Planes don't just fall from the sky" is one of the most common phrases. They can glide, the air is like jello, etc.....this video footage is terrifying. It's like some lever got stuck in a straight down position!
 

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