A small jet carrying six people crashed into multiple buildings in northeast Philadelphia on Friday evening, setting homes and vehicles ablaze and injuring people on the ground.
The Learjet 55 was on a medical transport mission, carrying four crew members, a child patient, and the patient’s escort, according to Jet Rescue Air Ambulance. The aircraft had taken off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at approximately 6:30 PM local time and crashed less than four miles away, en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro described the crash as an “awful aviation disaster,” acknowledging the likelihood of fatalities. Emergency crews responded swiftly as chaotic scenes unfolded—streets littered with fiery debris, injured people fleeing, and buildings engulfed in flames. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker urged residents to avoid debris and contact emergency services.
The crash occurred near Roosevelt Mall, a busy shopping center in a densely populated neighborhood filled with terraced houses and shops. Witnesses described an enormous explosion that “lit up the whole sky,” with burning wreckage damaging cars and structures. Photos from the aftermath show mangled vehicles and multiple fires raging on sidewalks.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) initially reported two people on board but later confirmed six. Flight tracking data indicates the aircraft was operated by Med Jets and had arrived in Philadelphia from Florida just hours before the crash.
Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident. Weather conditions at the time included cloudy skies, rain, and winds between 10 to 20 mph.
In a statement, President Donald Trump said his administration was “totally engaged” in the response, expressing sadness over the loss of life.
The Philadelphia crash comes just two days after a deadly collision in Washington, D.C., where a commercial jet and a military helicopter crashed, resulting in the presumed deaths of all 67 people on board. That incident was the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. in over two decades.
