Small Plane Carrying 5 People Crashes Near Pennsylvania Airport

A single-engine aircraft carrying five individuals crashed and ignited on Saturday in the parking area of a retirement community located near a small airport in suburban Pennsylvania, and remarkably, all onboard survived, according to officials and witnesses.

The dramatic incident occurred around 3 p.m. just south of Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township, as reported by police Chief Duane Fisher during an evening briefing. All five occupants were transported to hospitals with their conditions currently unknown, but there were no injuries reported on the ground, the chief confirmed.

Brian Pipkin, who was driving in the vicinity, observed the small plane ascending before it unexpectedly veered to the left.

“Then it went down nose first,” he recounted to The Associated Press. “An immediate fireball followed.”

Pipkin dialed 911 and proceeded to the crash location, where he filmed video footage showing thick black smoke rising from the aircraft’s twisted wreckage and several cars caught in flames within the parking lot at Brethren Village. He noted that the plane barely missed colliding with a three-story building at the extensive retirement community, approximately 75 miles west of Philadelphia.

A fire truck from the airport arrived within minutes, accompanied by additional first responders shortly thereafter.

“The smoke was thick and the heat was intense,” Pipkin described. “They were having a tough time extinguishing the flames.” Chief Fisher reported that around a dozen parked vehicles were affected by the incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration verified that there were five individuals aboard the Beechcraft Bonanza.

Audio from air traffic control captured the pilot indicating that the aircraft had “an open door” and requested to return for landing. An air traffic controller cleared the plane to land, instructing, “Pull up!” Moments later, voices could be heard noting that the aircraft was “down just behind the terminal in the parking lot street area.”

The FAA announced it would conduct an investigation.

This crash follows a recent tragedy wherein seven people lost their lives when an air ambulance erupted in flames after crashing onto a busy street in Philadelphia.

By Christopher Weber