A medical transport jet with a child patient, her mother and four others aboard crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood shortly after takeoff Friday evening, exploding in a fireball that engulfed several homes.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which operated the Learjet 55, said in a statement: “We cannot confirm any survivors.” There was no immediate word whether anyone on the ground was killed.

All six people aboard were from Mexico. The child had been treated in Philadelphia for a life-threatening condition and was being transported home, according to Jet Rescue spokesperson Shai Gold. The flight’s final destination was to have been Tijuana after a stop in Missouri.

The terrifying incident was captured on video by a witness who happened to be recording the plane as it took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The footage shows the plane struggling to gain altitude before crashing into a row of houses in the neighborhood below. The impact was so powerful that it caused a massive explosion, sending debris flying in all directions.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene to extinguish the flames and search for survivors. The entire neighborhood was cordoned off as firefighters worked to contain the blaze and assess the damage. The crash left a trail of destruction in its wake, with several homes completely destroyed and others severely damaged.

The tragic accident has left the community in shock as they come to terms with the devastation that has occurred in their neighborhood. The fact that there were no survivors on board the plane only adds to the sense of grief and loss that is being felt by all those affected by this terrible tragedy.

As investigators work to determine the cause of the crash, questions are being raised about the safety of air travel and the risks involved in transporting critically ill patients. While accidents like this are rare, they serve as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers of flying, especially in medical emergency situations.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims and all those who have been impacted by this tragedy. We can only hope that lessons will be learned from this incident and that measures will be put in place to prevent such a devastating loss of life from happening again in the future.