Transportation Secretary Highlights ‘Broad’ Impact Area from Philadelphia Medical Plane Crash

PHILADELPHIA—U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy remarked on Monday that the area affected by the medical transportation plane crash in Philadelphia was strikingly “expansive” after he surveyed the location with investigators and city officials.

Duffy expressed his astonishment at “how extensive it was, and the challenges that fire and police were facing. Once again, this is a highly populated area.”

The accident, which occurred on Friday evening, resulted in the deaths of all six individuals aboard the Learjet 55 air ambulance, including a girl who was receiving medical care at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia hospital. A seventh victim, who was in a vehicle on the ground, was also killed.

Mayor Cherelle Parker announced that two additional people injured on the ground have now been identified, bringing the total number of injured to 24. As of Monday, four individuals remained hospitalized, with two in critical condition.

Parker reflected on the crash, stating that video footage has led her to consider “what could have occurred had a gas line been struck.”

According to Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the aircraft was en route to return Valentina Guzmán Murillo, 11, and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Osuna, 31, to Mexico. The plane went down within a minute after departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. Jet Rescue identified the team members on board as Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo, 41; Captain Alan Montoya Perales, 46; Co-pilot Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez, 43; and paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla, 41.

Valentina had recently undergone treatment for a condition that is not easily managed in Mexico, according to hospital officials.

The crash caused debris to erupt into a fireball, with fragments of the aircraft scattered across the residential and commercial Castor Gardens neighborhood, leading to significant damage to various businesses. City officials reported that four homes were destroyed, six experienced major damage, and 11 were otherwise affected.

Duffy noted, “The angle at which that aircraft descended was very steep.”

The cockpit voice recorder from the aircraft was recovered approximately 8 feet (2.4 meters) below the surface and is en route to Washington, D.C., for analysis, Duffy indicated. Although the plane lacked a data recorder, investigators are hopeful to extract flight data from the jet’s ground proximity warning system.

“We anticipate getting some data from that device, such as the aircraft’s speed or location,” he mentioned.

The Philadelphia incident transpired just two days following the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. in recent years, when an American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members collided midair with an Army helicopter carrying three soldiers in Washington, D.C.

Audio captured by LiveATC recorded an air traffic controller at Northeast Philadelphia Airport directing “Medevac Medservice 056” to make a right turn after takeoff. Approximately 30 seconds later, the controller repeated the instruction and inquired, “You on frequency?” Minutes later, the controller confirmed, “We have a lost aircraft. We’re not exactly sure what happened, so we’re trying to figure it out. For the time being, the field is going to be closed.”