A Learjet 55 operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance crashed into a shopping center in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday night, killing all on board. The impact triggered a massive fireball that set homes and vehicles ablaze.
The New York Times reported that the Learjet 55 had six people on board, all of whom perished upon impact:
The Learjet 55 was transporting a young female patient from Philadelphia, where she had completed treatment, to her home in Mexico, said Shai Gold, a spokesman for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which owns the plane. She was accompanied by her mother, and there were also two pilots, a doctor and a paramedic on board, he added. The patient had been treated at Shriners Children’s in Philadelphia, said the hospital’s spokesman, Mel Bower. All six people on the plane were Mexican, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said.
The twin-engine jet departed from Northeast Philadelphia Airport and was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri when it crashed just minutes into the flight.
The cause of the mid-air incident remains unclear. Authorities are investigating what occurred in the skies over Philadelphia that led the pilots to become unresponsive with the Northeast Philadelphia Airport Tower before the aircraft entered a violent descent at 11,000 feet per minute, ultimately crashing into a city street.
Potential internal factors include an oxygen tank explosion or improper load balance. Externally, a loss of flight controls due to icing or a possible drone strike cannot be ruled out. However, these theories remain speculative, as authorities have yet to confirm any details while the investigation is ongoing.
What is remarkable about the incident is the footage, the way this plane falls and the actual explosion point more to a cruise missile than an actual plane. The plane has enough speed to have a better lift and not crash at the angle in which it did, the trajectory is much more applicable to a cruise missile. Very strange indeed. Take a look:
How in the hell does a jet crash at this angle? pic.twitter.com/P7Mohh7pqD
— Nathan Hughes (@rallynate) February 1, 2025
