Medical jet that crashed in Philadelphia was at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport hours before fatal flight
MIAMI – The medical jet that crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood that killed seven people and injured at least 20 others on Friday evening was at a South Florida airport hours before the incident, CBS News Miami has learned.
Six passengers aboard and one person on the ground were killed, and local hospitals reported at least 20 people had been treated for injuries from the crash.
According to the flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 and a spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the Mexico-based company that operated the aircraft, the plane's flight pattern began at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on Friday at noon before landing at Northeast Philadelphia around 2:17 p.m.
"Yes, the starting point was that airport," Shai Gold, the company's managing director for communications, told CBS News Miami.
The small plane, a Learjet 55, departed Northeast Philadelphia Airport around 6:07 p.m. and was bound for Springfield, Missouri before it went down and crashed in an area near Philadelphia's Roosevelt Mall. The crash caused an explosion that set several homes ablaze near the area, CBS News Philadelphia reported.
According to a statement from Jet Rescue Air Ambulance provided by Gold, the six onboard included four crew members, a pediatric patient, and the patient's escort. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed all six people – all of whom were Mexican citizens – were killed in the crash.
"The Jet Rescue Air Ambulance family extends its heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathy to the family of the patient, families of our team members, and anyone who was hurt on the ground," the company statement said.
"It's almost twice as sad because this girl was discharged from a hospital in Philly after being treated medically," Gold told CBS News Miami after visiting the crash site and speaking with the National Transportation Safety Board.
Gold told CBS News Miami that he and Jet Rescue Air Ambulance are "incredibly sad" about the loss of life and tragedy that occurred Friday.
"When I visited the impact zone [Saturday], it was quite devastating," he said.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance is headquartered in Toluca International Airport near Mexico City. According to Gold, though none of the people aboard the Mexico-registered aircraft had jobs or homes in the U.S., the crew takes overnight flights in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. He also told CBS News Miami that the company has two operating divisions in Florida: a representative office in Boca Raton and a small base in Fort Lauderdale.
In a Saturday morning news conference, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said one person inside a car was killed on the ground. She warned that the total count of injuries may change as investigators continue working the scene and tracking down who has been taken to hospitals.
The pediatric patient was a girl from Mexico who had received treatment at Shriners Children's Hospital Philadelphia, said hospital spokesperson Mel Bower. Her treatment had ended and was on her way home when the plane crashed.
Willard Shepard, a pilot who flew in the U.S. Air Force and is an aviation attorney, spoke with CBS News Miami, saying there was no chance at the speed the plane was falling.
"The aircraft was going at about 11,000 feet per minute on the descent. And just to give you an idea that's the kind of descent we would do on a bombing run in a fighter jet from a high altitude," he said.
Shepard said the Miami-Opa Locka airport is frequented by small aircraft.
"There are a couple of what we call FBOs — places that operate there, providing fuel, maintenance and also servicing for private aircraft," he said. "And it's a very popular place for people to come in and out of south Florida where they're not going to Miami International [Airport]. Which is much more congested with our commercial carriers."
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash, with the latter leading the investigation.
