New York [US], February 1: The incident occurred near Roosevelt Mall in northeast Philadelphia. The Learjet 55 crashed at around 6:30 p.m. on January 31 (local time), after departing from Philadelphia airport, ABC News reported, citing information from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
A large fire broke out after the crash, with several cars on fire at the scene. The FAA said two people were on board the Learjet 55, which was headed to Missouri. Emergency services initially reported multiple casualties, although no specific numbers were given.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he was in touch with local officials and emergency response teams, and said all resources were being deployed to the crash site. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also investigating the incident. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he was monitoring the situation and working to verify information.
Flight data shows the plane took off from the airport at 6:06 p.m. and disappeared from radar about 30 seconds after climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 m). The crash occurred about 3 miles (5 km) from the airport northeast of Philadelphia where the plane took off. WDSU said initial information indicated the plane belonged to a medical business.
The accident occurred two days after an American Airlines plane collided with a US military helicopter in Washington DC on January 29, killing 67 people.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
