- Title: Philadelphia plane crash voice recorder still missing - NTSB
- Date: 2nd February 2025
- Summary: PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 1, 2025) (REUTERS) NATIONAL TRANSPORT SAFETY BOARD (NTSB), CHAIRMAN, JENNIFER HOMENDY, AND NATIONAL TRANSPORT SAFETY BOARD (NTSB), SENIOR INVESTIGATOR, RALPH HICKS, APPROACH MICROPHONE WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATIONAL TRANSPORT SAFETY BOARD (NTSB), CHAIRMAN JENNIFER HOMENDY, SAYING: "Yesterday at about 18:06 (6:06 PM) Eastern Standard Time, a Learjet 55, Mexican registration XA-UCI, callsign MTS056, was destroyed when it crashed into a commercial and residential area shortly after takeoff from northeast Philadelphia airport with six people on board, including two crew members." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATIONAL TRANSPORT SAFETY BOARD (NTSB), SENIOR INVESTIGATOR, RALPH HICKS, SAYING: "The aircraft arrived at Northeast Philadelphia Airport around 2:15 p.m. in the afternoon. It was on the ground for a few hours and departed runway 24 at about 6:06 p.m. It was like, we said, it was dark at the time and instrument conditions. The aircraft climbed to about 1,500 feet above the ground. We were looking at GPS data on the aircraft, a slight right turn followed by a slight left turn, and then a steep descent towards the ground where it crashed. The entire flight lasted less than a minute." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATIONAL TRANSPORT SAFETY BOARD (NTSB), CHAIRMAN JENNIFER HOMENDY, SAYING: "So I want to stress this was a high-impact crash, and the plane is highly fragmented. There is a substantial impact on the entire community. The debris field extends four or five blocks. And I do want to stress that this is an active investigation scene. The debris is scattered. It is very dangerous. And so I encourage everyone to stay out of the accident site. It's very dangerous." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATIONAL TRANSPORT SAFETY BOARD (NTSB), CHAIRMAN JENNIFER HOMENDY, SAYING: "I do want to mention we are still looking for the cockpit voice recorder. We have located the two engines, but for the cockpit voice recorder, we are still looking for it. It could be intact, but likely, it is very... it is damaged. It may be fragmented. So, if there are citizens, or business owners, or others who find debris, please email the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATIONAL TRANSPORT SAFETY BOARD (NTSB), CHAIRMAN JENNIFER HOMENDY, SAYING: "Now, I'm sure I will get questions about having two major accident investigations at one time. We are a very... we are a highly skilled agency. It is not unusual for the NTSB to be investigating two major accidents. We have tremendous resources at both. And I... we will get to our findings, our probable cause, and our recommendations and to a final investigative report." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATIONAL TRANSPORT SAFETY BOARD (NTSB), CHAIRMAN JENNIFER HOMENDY, SAYING: "President Trump has been very, very supportive of the National Transportation Safety Board. I did brief the president this week, and he has indicated his strong support for the NTSB, which we... we appreciate, and we appreciate the resources we've been given, and certainly in our budget request, we will always hope for more. We'll see what comes." WHITE FLASH HOMENDY AND HICKS LEAVE
- Embargoed: 16th February 2025 01:18
- Keywords: NTSB National Transportation Safety Board Philadelphia Roosevelt Mall air ambulance medevac plane crash plane six Mexicans
- Location: PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES
- City: PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: Air Accidents,Disaster/Accidents,North America
- Reuters ID: LVA001806901022025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: At least seven people died when a medevac plane crashed into the Roosevelt Mall in the suburb of Philadelphia on Friday (January 31), including six Mexicans aboard the plane and one person who was on the ground. Nineteen people were injured.
"This was a high-impact crash and the plane is highly fragmented," said National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairman Jennifer Homendy. "There is a substantial impact on the entire community."
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, based in Mexico and licensed to operate in the U.S., on Friday said its aircraft crashed with four crew members, one pediatric medical patient, and the patient's mother on board.
The child was a girl on her way home with a final destination of Tijuana, Shai Gold, who works on corporate strategy with Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, told CNN on Friday. Her mother was also aboard, he said.
Homendy also said that investigators are still looking for the plane's black box with recordings from the cockpit.
"It could be intact, but likely, it is very... it is damaged," she said, also calling for local residents to email the agency if they see anything that looks like a part of the plane.
The plane arrived at Northeast Philadelphia Airport around 2:15 p.m.," said Ralph Hicks, NTSB's senior investigator on the scene. After a few hours on the tarmac, it took off at about 6:06 p.m. and climbed to about 1,500 feet above the ground.
"We were looking at GPS data on the aircraft, a slight right turn followed by a slight left turn, and then a steep descent towards the ground where it crashed," said Hicks. "The entire flight lasted less than a minute."
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