Philadelphia plane crash NTSB report finds cockpit voice recorder didn't record flight
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) found in the fatal Jan. 31 medical jet crash in Northeast Philadelphia was not recording and likely hadn't recorded audio for several years, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The CVR had "significant impact-related damage," according to the report released Thursday. It was repaired and cleaned, but investigators weren't able to pull much from it.
According to the NTSB report, the plane also had an Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System. The agency says the EGPWS computer is being evaluated by its manufacturer to see if any travel data can be recovered. That evaluation remains ongoing.
What happened in the Philadelphia plane crash?
The crash killed all six people aboard the plane and one person on the ground. It also injured 24 people and ignited several fires in the area of Cottman Avenue where the crash happened. Twenty people suffered minor injuries, while four others were seriously injured.
The NTSB said the Learjet 55, bound for Springfield-Branson Airport in Missouri, took off at 6:06 pm on Jan. 31. Around 35 seconds after takeoff, it had climbed to an altitude of 1,650 feet mean sea level. But just seven seconds later, it had dropped to around 1,275 feet mean sea level, which is the last recording investigators have.
Investigators said there were no distress calls received from the flight crew.
The entire flight was less than one minute as the plane made a steep descent and crashed near the Roosevelt Mall in a very densely populated area of the city.
The preliminary report shows a large debris field resulting from the crash, measuring 1,410 feet long by 840 feet wide. Many homes near the crash site remain boarded up, while others said they're still dealing with damage leftover from the crash.
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 are available for small businesses damaged in the crash. The grants max out at $20,000.
Read the full NTSB Philadelphia plane crash report
What use would the cockpit voice recorder have been?
Longtime aviation attorney and pilot Arthur Wolk said the lack of a cockpit voice recorder means investigators have one less tool to determine what caused the crash.
However, because the crash happened so quickly, the pilots might not have said much anyway, Wolk said.
The Learjet may not have been required to have a functioning recorder either. Wolk says in the U.S., all planes with 6 or more seats (not including pilots) are required to have a cockpit voice recorder.
Determining whether the crash was caused by a possible electrical or structural malfunction could be based on maintenance records and wreckage the NTSB recovered at the site, Wolk added. Any maintenance records would likely come from Mexican officials.
Crash killed 7 people, injured others including multiple children
Four crew members from Jet Rescue Air Ambulance were killed along with a 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.
The crewmembers were pilot Capt. Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales, copilot Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez, Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo and paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla.
A man killed in a car on the ground that was heavily damaged in the crash was identified as 37-year-old Steven Dreuitt. His son, 9-year-old Ramesses, was sent to a Massachusetts hospital with burns on 90% of his body.
A man who was eating at the Raising Cane's close to the crash scene, Caseem Wongus, sprang into action when he saw Ramesses emerge from the flames, wrapping the boy in his jacket and getting him over to first responders.
