Terrifying footage has captured the aftermath of a plane crash in Pennsylvania after a small aircraft plummeted into a suburban neighborhood.
The incident took place shortly after the plane, which was carrying five passengers, took off from Lancaster Airport at 3:15PM EDT.
The aircraft crashed in Brethren Village, Manheim Township, and was seen bursting into flames, injuring multiple people and damaging several vehicles nearby.
Authorities reported that Rote 501 had been closed in the aftermath of the incident.
The plane, believed to be a Beechcraft A36TC, came down opposite a nursing home.
The pilot was then heard saying that he was unable to hear the radio due to the wind noise created by the open hatch.
Air traffic control then instructed: “Pull up… the aircraft is down just behind the terminal in the parking lot tree area.”
The cause of the crash remains unconfirmed as the NTSB and FAA have opened an investigation.
Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Our team at Pennsylvania State Police is on the ground assisting local first responders following the small private plane crash near Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township.
“All Commonwealth resources are available as the response continues and more information will be provided as it becomes available.”
According to reports from the Daily Mail, the pilot and passengers on board were rushed to nearby hospitals. Their current condition remains unknown.
Authorities confirmed to the outlet that the pilot avoided nearby buildings before crashing in the parking lot and nobody was injured on the ground.
Residents of the retirement home close to the area of impact were told to “shelter in place” as a precaution.
It is understood the plane was headed to Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Ohio.
This latest incident comes after a difficult start to the year for aviation in the US, after a plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with a US Military Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers, plummeting into the Potomac River. There were no survivors.
Just days later, a medical jet crash in Philadelphia on its way to Mexico, killing all six people on board.
A small plane carrying 10 people also crashed in Alaska this year, killing everyone on board, and two people died in February after two planes collided in midair at Arizona’s Marana Airport.
Our thoughts remain with all those affected by this latest incident.
