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According to authorities and eyewitnesses, a single-engine aircraft carrying five individuals crashed and caught fire on Sunday in a retirement community’s parking area, situated near a small airport in suburban Pennsylvania. All occupants survived.
The accident occurred at approximately 3 p.m., just south of Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township, as stated by police chief Duane Fisher during an evening press conference. All five injured people were transported to local hospitals; their conditions are unknown. No one on the ground sustained injuries, the chief confirmed.
Brian Pipkin, who was driving nearby, noticed the small plane ascending before it abruptly swerved to the left.
“And then it went down nose first,” he told The Associated Press. “There was an immediate fireball.”
Pipkin dialed 911 and proceeded to the crash location, capturing video footage of black smoke rising from the mangled wreckage of the aircraft and several vehicles ablaze in the Brethren Village parking area. He noted that the plane narrowly avoided hitting a three-story building at the expansive retirement community, which is located approximately 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of Philadelphia.
A fire engine from the airport was on scene within minutes, followed swiftly by additional first responders.
“It was so smoky and it was so hot,” Pipkin said. “They were really struggling to get the fire out.”
A dozen parked vehicles were damaged, and residents of Brethren Village were briefly instructed to shelter in place as a safety measure, according to Fisher.
“I don’t know if I’d consider it a miracle, but the fact that we have a plane crash where everybody survives and nobody on the ground is hurt is a wonderful thing,” the police chief commented.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) verified that there were five people aboard the Beechcraft Bonanza. Information regarding its intended flight path and destination was not immediately available following the incident.
The condition of the five individuals was also not immediately known, and authorities did not provide details regarding how they survived the crash.
Recordings of air traffic control communications captured the pilot reporting that the aircraft “has an open door, we need to return for a landing.” An air traffic controller is heard clearing the plane to land, before saying, “Pull up!” Shortly after, someone can be heard saying the aircraft was “down just behind the terminal in the parking lot street area.”
The FAA has announced that it will conduct an investigation.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro indicated that state police are assisting local authorities. “All Commonwealth resources are available as the response continues, and more information will be provided as it becomes available,” Shapiro stated on social media.
This crash occurs approximately one month after an air ambulance crashed onto a busy street in Philadelphia and caught fire, resulting in the deaths of seven people.
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