A single-engine plane with five people crashed and caught fire on Sunday at a parking lot of a retirement community near a small airport in suburban Pennsylvania, USA, and everyone on board survived, officials and witnesses reported, writes UNN citing AP.
Details
The fire occurred around 3:00 PM local time south of Lancaster Airport in the town of Manheim, Police Chief Dwayne Fisher reported at a briefing. All five victims were taken to hospitals in unknown condition. No one on the ground was injured, the police chief said.
A witness called 911 and then drove to the crash site, where he recorded video of black smoke billowing from the mangled wreckage of the plane and several burning cars in the parking lot of the Brethren Village community. According to him, the plane narrowly missed crashing into a three-story building in the community. Residents were asked to temporarily shelter in place as a precaution.
An airport fire truck arrived within minutes, and other rescuers quickly followed.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that five people were on board the Beechcraft Bonanza. The planned flight and destination were not immediately disclosed after the crash.
The condition of the five was also not known immediately, and authorities did not clarify how they survived the crash.
An audio recording from the control tower captured the pilot reporting that the plane had "open doors, we need to return for landing." The controller can be heard granting the plane permission to land and then saying, "Climb!" After a while, someone can be heard saying that the plane "crashed just behind the terminal in the parking area."
The FAA stated that it would conduct an investigation.
Supplement
The crash occurred about a month after seven people died when a medical transport aircraft caught fire after crashing onto a busy street in Philadelphia.