Just as the shock of the Washington plane crash had not yet subsided, another aviation accident occurred in the United States. On Friday, a small passenger plane crashed in Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania.
According to initial reports, the plane had a total of five people on board, including crew members. Among them was a child. Unfortunately, none of the passengers survived.
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his condolences over the incident on his social media platform, Truth Social, stating, “I am deeply saddened by the plane crash in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Innocent lives have been lost. We have already dispatched federal rescue teams to the site. Those who first responded to the accident deserve praise.”
On Thursday, January 30, a tragic accident took place in Washington, D.C., when an American Airlines passenger jet collided mid-air with a U.S. military Black Hawk helicopter. The jet crashed into a river, resulting in the deaths of all 67 passengers on board.
Just two days after that incident, another plane crash occurred in Philadelphia. Local witnesses reported that around 6:30 PM local time on Friday, a small passenger aircraft crashed near Roosevelt Mall in Northeast Philadelphia. Footage from social media and local TV channels showed the aircraft nosediving before impact, followed by an explosion upon hitting the ground.
At the time of the crash, several hundred people were in the vicinity of Roosevelt Mall. The explosion injured many of them, and the fire spread to several parked vehicles and a nearby house.
Firefighters and civil defense personnel quickly responded to the scene, battling the blaze for about two hours before bringing it under control. The explosion upon impact reportedly caused several injuries, and there are fears that some people on the ground may have also lost their lives.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker visited the crash site shortly after the incident. Speaking to reporters, she stated that the exact number of casualties was still unknown.
The cause of the crash remains unclear, but early speculation suggests that rainy and foggy weather conditions may have contributed to the accident.