Several people have been injured after a plane crashed to the ground shortly after take off close to a retirement home, as rescue teams get to work to help survivors.
Emergency services, including several ambulances, are at the scene of the incident in Manheim Township, Pennsylvania. Photos of the scene shared online show thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the air as fire crews declared it a “mass casualty incident (MCI)”.
The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed five people were on the plane, which was a six seater Beechcraft, when it crashed into the Brethren Village Retirement Community. It was en route to Springfield, Ohio, when it suddenly came down.
Shock photos show the tail of the plane sitting on top of several parked cars, some of which are also alight. Local reports suggested the small plane lost power shortly after take-off from nearby Lancaster Airport and was swept off course.
An emergency alert shared online reads: “MCI declared, 500 airport road in Manheim Township in Lancaster County. EMS (Emergency Medical Services) with a plane down, on fire, several autos on fire as well. Multiple patients including burn victims.”
One person said of the incident: “I sincerely hope everyone on the ground manages to survive this. I enjoy Lancaster; what a tragic way to conclude a Sunday.”
Pennsylvania state governor Governor Josh Shapiro said on X: “PA State Police is on the ground assisting local first responders following the small private plane crash near Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township. All Commonwealth resources are available as the response continues, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.”
The incident is the latest aviation disaster to befall the US so far in 2025. Last month two people died when a plane crashed at Marana Regional Airport in Arizona. Earlier, a flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Pearson Airport in Toronto flipped on the runway, bursting into flames as it smashed into the tarmac.
At the end of January a commercial jet crashed into a military helicopter in Washington D.C., claiming the lives of 67 people as both crafts plunged into the icy water of a river below. The incidents have led to a dip in confidence in the safety of air travel.
A survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed 64% of American adults now say plane travel is “very safe” or “somewhat safe”, which is down from 71% last year. About 2 in 10 U.S. adults now say air transportation is very or somewhat unsafe, up from 12% in 2024.
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