Emergency responders rushed to Manheim Township in Lancaster County, suburban Pennsylvania, after a small plane crashed into a parking lot, injuring several people.
According to the Daily Mail, after striking parked cars, the aircraft burst into flames, which then spread to the vehicles situated between Fairview Drive and Meadowview Court.
The wreckage, identified from photos and footage as a Beechcraft A36TC model, indicates that the plane had taken off on Sunday afternoon as scheduled, but it requested an immediate landing because one of its doors was left open.
Audio from air traffic control, reported by the Mirror, captured the pilot instructing ground personnel to reverse course. At one point, he mentioned that strong wind from the open door rendered his radio nearly inaudible. The controller replied, “Pull up… the aircraft is down just behind the terminal in the parking lot tree area.”
The Associated Press noted that five people were on board during the crash. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed on X that state police were on the scene assisting local first responders 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,” he stated.
Multiple individuals sustained burns in the accident.
This crash is the latest in a series of recent airplane accidents in Pennsylvania. In January, a collision between an American Airlines plane and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter—considered the deadliest plane crash in recent years—resulted in 67 fatalities. Shortly after that incident, a medical jet carrying a family, including a young girl in need of life-saving treatment, crashed while en route from the USA to Mexico, killing all six people on board.