Plane crash in Pennsylvania leaves 5 injured, fire erupts in retirement community

The aircraft had just departed from Lancaster Airport when it went down in the Brethren Village retirement community around 3 p.m., according to Manheim Township Fire Chief Scott Little.

The plane reportedly skidded nearly 100 feet before coming to a stop in a parking area, damaging five vehicles.

“They had heavy fire on arrival from the aircraft,” Little said, adding that first responders were at the scene within three minutes. Online images showed the tail of the plane intact, while the rest of the fuselage was engulfed in flames.

Emergency teams transported all five passengers to hospitals - two remained at Lancaster General Hospital on Sunday evening, while three were transferred to Lehigh Valley Health Network’s burn center. No one on the ground was hurt, and the fire was fully contained within three hours, officials confirmed.

Small aircraft crashes into parking lot, engulfing cars in flames (Photo: Getty Images)

Pilot reported an issue before crash

Flight tracker FlightAware indicated that the plane was en route to Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Ohio. However, air traffic control recordings reveal that someone onboard reported an open door shortly after takeoff and requested permission to return to the airport. “Pull up,” an air traffic controller can be heard urging before the crash.

Local authorities initially advised residents to shelter in place as a precaution, but the scene was later secured. Brethren Village has not yet commented on the incident.

Recent aviation accidents

This year has already seen multiple aircraft accidents. For example, a plane crash near Philadelphia led to house fires and significant destruction.

Near Washington, a helicopter unit was suspended from flying after an aviation accident.

In Alaska, an American F-35 fighter jet crashed, adding to a growing list of military aviation incidents.