Plane with 5 aboard crashes in Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA – A small aircraft carrying five people crashed in a carpark of a retirement community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on March 9, according to local officials, after the pilot reported there was an “open door”, air traffic transmissions show.

The aircraft, a six-seater Beechcraft Bonanza, crashed outside of Brethren Village Retirement Community at 3.18pm (3.18am on March 10 Singapore time) after it took off from Lancaster Airport, Mr Scott Little, fire chief of Manheim Township Fire Rescue, said at a news conference on March 9.

According to a spokesperson for Lancaster General Hospital, all five people on the plane were transported to Lancaster General Hospital on March 9.

Two people were then transported to Lehigh Valley Health Network’s burn centre by emergency flight crews, and one person was transported there by ground ambulance. Two people remain hospitalised at Lancaster General, the spokesperson said.

No one on the ground was hurt, officials said.

Manheim Township police chief Duane Fisher said it looked like the aircraft skidded about 30.5m after hitting the ground. About a dozen vehicles were damaged, though there was no damage to buildings.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, which provides real-time information on airline accidents and safety, the plane departed Lancaster Airport and was bound for Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Springfield, Ohio.

Shortly after taking off, the pilot reported there was an “open door”, and that the plane needed “to return for a landing”, according to an air traffic control recording. The pilot reported difficulty hearing the controller because of the wind.

Videos on social media showed the plane and nearby vehicles engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing from the fire.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. NYTIMES