Small plane crashes in fireball outside Pennsylvania retirement home, injuring five

Plane took off with door open, according to air traffic controller audio

A small plane crashed in the parking lot of a Pennsylvania retirement community on Sunday afternoon, injuring five people and setting several cars as well as the aircraft itself on fire.

The incident did not injure anyone on the ground, and the five people hurt were onboard the Beechcraft Bonanza when it careened into the parking lot of the Brethen Village retirement community in Manheim around 3 p.m.

"A plane crash where everybody survives and nobody on the ground is hurt is a wonderful thing," Manheim Police Chief Duane Fisher said at a press conference on Sunday. "To have this type of ending so far is a great day for us."

Two victims were flown to the burn center at Lehigh Valley Hospital — Cedar Crest, while another was taken via ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital, ABC 27 reports. The remaining two victims are at Lancaster General Hospital.

Brian Pipkin was visiting the retirement community at the time of the crash.

“I don’t know what played into it but it veered left,” he told Lancaster Online of the plane. “It just nosedived.”

Firefighters respond to the scene of a small plane crash in Manheim Township near the Lancaster Airport in Pennsylvania on March 9 (AP)

He said he saw two people in the grass near the wreck with black marks on their bodies.

The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the crash.

The Independent has contacted local fire and police departments for comment.

Footage of the scene appears to show the tail section of a small aircraft on fire alongside multiple flaming cars. Smoke was seen surrounding vehicles in the parking lot of an apartment complex.

Multiple medics, ambulances, and individuals in hazmat suits were on scene at the Lancaster County crash, which took place in the Lititz section of Manheim Township, near the Lancaster Airport.

The crash and emergency response temporarily shut down Route 501.

The private flight, originally bound for Springfield, Ohio, requested to land shortly after taking off from Lancaster Airport with an open door, according to air traffic control audio.

Air traffic control directed the Beechcraft to turn around, and at one point said it couldn’t hear the radio traffic because of all the wind noise.

Five people were on board when a small plane crashed in the parking lot of a Pennsylvania retirement home on March 9 (AP)

No buildings were hit in the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board is also expected to provide additional information on the crash.

The single-engine plane was owned by an entity Jam Zoom Yayos LLC in Manheim, according to the FAA.

“Our team at [the Pennsylvania State Police] is on the ground assisting local first responders following the small private plane crash near Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township,” Governor Joseph Shapiro wrote on X. “All Commonwealth resources are available as the response continues, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.”

The crash comes at a time of heightened scrutiny towards the U.S. air industry, following crashes including a mid-air collusion outside of Washington in February and a Delta flight that flipped over on the runway in Toronto later that month.

A medical evacuation plane operated by Mexico-based Jet Rescue Air Ambulance also crashed in Philadelphia last month.

The Trump administration has reportedly pushed to work with White House adviser Elon Musk’s company SpaceX to incorporate Starlink satellite internet technology into the U.S. air traffic control system.