5 people injured in plane crash in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, officials say
Five people were injured after a small plane crashed in the parking lot of a retirement community Sunday in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, officials said.
The six-seat 1981 Beechcraft Bonanza plane took off from Lancaster Airport and crashed in the parking lot of the Brethren Village Retirement Community in Lititz at 3:18 p.m., said Scott Little, the fire chief and emergency management director of Manheim Township. The plane, which is owned by Jam Zoom Yayos LLC, was on its way to Springfield, Ohio, according to FlightRadar. The Federal Aviation Administration has preliminarily ruled the crash as an accident.
Authorities said Monday that the five people on board were taken to Lancaster General Hospital. A spokesperson for the hospital said three of the patients were transferred from Lancaster General to the Lehigh Valley Health Network's burn center. The two others were treated at Lancaster General and have since been released.
Little said no one on the ground was hurt. In a statement, Brethren Village said fortunately, no residents were injured and no damage was reported to any of their structures. However, 12 vehicles were damaged in the crash, including five that were severely damaged.
Air traffic control audio captured the pilot reporting that the aircraft "has an open door, we need to return for a landing."
Duane Fisher, the Manheim Township chief of police, said it appears the plane skidded 100 feet after it crashed. A fire started in the parking lot at Brethren Village following the crash, which was later placed under control.
"I don't know if I consider it a miracle, but the fact that we have a plane crash where everybody survives and nobody on the ground is hurt is a wonderful thing," Fisher said.
Officials initially asked residents at Brethren Village to shelter in place as a precaution due to the crash, but Fisher said he's confident all safety concerns in the area have been addressed.
Hazmat was on the scene to contain the fuel from the aircraft.
"Due to a fuel spill from the crash, environmental evaluations are currently underway," Brethren Village said in a statement on its website. The retirement community said it is fully cooperating with the Environmental Protection Agency and any other relevant environmental agencies.
Gov. Josh Shapiro posted about the crash on X, saying that the Pennsylvania State Police were on the ground assisting first responders after the plane crash.
"All Commonwealth resources are available as the response continues, and more information will be provided as it becomes available," Shapiro wrote.
"It's surreal because we don't have things like that happen where we live," said Joyce Nelson, who said she witnessed the plane crash.
On Monday, Nelson and her neighbor, Janice Wenger, said they're thankful no one was killed in the plane crash just yards away from their front doors.
However, Nelson said they're not spooked.
"We don't feel frightened. We don't feel like it's going to happen again," Nelson said. "It was just a very strange incident, very sad incident that happened."
Wenger shared photos she took with CBS News Philadelphia, showing the charred remains of burned-out cars and what's left of a small plane in one of the parking lots of the Brethren Village, where she lives.
Dale and Sheryn Jerchau said they saw the passengers aboard the small plane escape the aircraft after it crashed.
"Both him and I saw the five people crawl out of the plane, crawl over to the grass, and they laid there to get their breath," Sheryn Jerchau said.
The FAA was at the scene investigating the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board said it will be working with the FAA on the investigation.
Philadelphia plane crash
The plane crash in Lancaster County is the second in Pennsylvania in 2025, amid several that have happened across the United States since January.
On Jan. 31, a medical jet crashed in Northeast Philadelphia near Roosevelt Mall into a densely populated area of the city. The crash left seven people dead, including all six people on board and another man inside his car on the street, and 24 people injured.
Four crew members from Jet Rescue Air Ambulance were killed along with 11-year-old pediatric patient Valentina Guzman Murillo, who had just wrapped up weeks of treatment at Shriner's Children's Hospital Philadelphia, and her mother Lizeth Murillo Ozuna.
Last week, the NTSB released preliminary info on the crash and said the plane's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was not recording and likely hadn't recorded audio for several years.
The flight was on its way to Springfield-Branson Airport in Missouri. It took off at 6:06 p.m. and the entire flight was less than one minute as the plane made a steep descent and crashed. Investigators said there were no distress calls received from the flight crew.
The preliminary report didn't provide a cause for the crash. The NTSB is expected to release a final report on the crash in 12 to 24 months.
Grants were available for small businesses damaged in the crash. The grants max out at $20,000.
