Small plane crashes in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; multiple injuries reported
A small plane crashed Sunday in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and multiple injuries were reported, officials said.
MANHEIM TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPVI) — Crews are on the scene after a small plane crashed in Manheim Township, Pennsylvania.
The incident occurred just after 3:15 p.m. Sunday on Fairview Drive and Meadowview Court in Brethren Village.
According to authorities, Aircraft N347M took off from Lancaster Airport at 3:15 p.m. and quickly went down for unknown causes.
Multiple injuries have been reported.
Route 501 is closed in the area.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro released a statement shortly after the crash, stating that Pennsylvania State Police were on scene to assist local first responders.
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Several hours after a plane crashed into a Lancaster County retirement community Sunday afternoon, police and fire officials held a news conference to share what they knew.
We’ve posted the full news conference above and a transcript below. You can also read a summary of what happened here.
Manheim Township fire department chief Scott Little: Good afternoon. So, today at 3:18 p.m., a small six seater aircraft, a Beechcraft Bonanza, crashed here on the property of Brethren Village. Five passengers were on board. All five passengers were transported by local EMS agencies to local hospitals for treatment. No structural damage occurred on the Brethren Village property. We did have multiple vehicles catch on fire due to the aircraft. We are now transitioning to a recovery and an investigation phase, and we are awaiting additional information from our federal partners on next steps at this time. At this time are there any questions from the media?
Question: Anyone on the ground hurt?
Little: No, there was not. Only the five that were on the aircraft were injured. These individuals have been transported to local hospitals.
Question: How many vehicles sustained damage?
Little: There’s at least five vehicles that sustained damage on the Brethren Village property.
Manheim township chief of police Duane Fisher: About a dozen in total. Five that were severely damaged.
Question: Was the plane coming from Lancaster Airport?
Little: Yes. The plane did take off from Lancaster Airport.
Question: Any initial signs of duress from the plane?
Little: We don’t at this time. It is all under investigation by our federal partners.
Question: Air traffic control sounded like perhaps a door opened that maybe could have clipped a wing?
Little: That would be under the investigation of our federal partners at this point.
Question: Could you characterize the injuries?
Little: The five, patients are all being looked at this point by doctors at hospitals.
Question: Are they burned?
Little: At this point, we know they were transported to local hospitals.
Question: Which hospitals?
Fisher: We’re not really going to get into saying because I think some of them may have been transferred. There may have been some diversions that may have occurred because of the five persons creating a mass casualty incident. So, the fire chief and I are not comfortable putting that out with anything to be referenced at this point.
Question: Are they family members? Do you know if they were related?
Little: That’s all part of the investigation at this point. When they’re manifest, documents. Also, the first on scene police officer from Manheim Township police, was on scene for dispatch within two minutes. And followed on within three minutes, the first arriving Manheim Township Fire Rescue Engine Company was on scene to start providing treatment to the patients and also extinguishment of the multiple fires.
Question: Can you describe what it was like for them to get those people out of that plane?
Little: Not at this point. We haven’t debriefed with our staff yet. That we will do later this evening.
Question: It would have had a full load of fuel just after take off.
Little: Yeah. I don’t know the fuel capacity on take off.
Question: Could you talk more about the fire?
Little: Yeah, obviously, they had heavy fire on arrival from the aircraft, and then had the extinguishing piece. So at this point, the incident is under control and fire is all out.
Question: We believe we saw a hazmat here. Were there chemical concerns with this crash?
Little: Hazmat is here to support. Obviously, we have a unified command in place from all the disciplines in emergency services, and hazmat is a part of the clean up due to the fuel that was on board the aircraft that also ran down the asphalt. So, they’re doing the containment of all that at this point.
Question: Do you know if there’s any concern for the residents here at this center?
Little: There is not. I don’t know if anybody from Brethren Village would like to speak about residents sheltering in place at this point.
Fisher: The only thing I’ll throw in it was part of our response, we initially had all people on the property shelter in place just as a precaution to protect them. We didn’t have all the specifics at that time. Again, to the fire chief’s point, at no point on the ground was anyone injured. At no point did the plane or the aircraft strike any part of the structure. So, we’re very confident that all safety concerns have been addressed as far as the facility here and everyone that lives here.
Question: Do you have any way to gauge whether the pilot might have intentionally been able to avoid the buildings?
Little: That is still under investigation and from the federal partners.
Question: Approximately how far did the plane skid before it came to a rest?
Fisher: Well, I would say from our initial look it appears that that the person may have skidded approximately 100 feet after it made contact with the ground.
Question: Any fire damage to the building?
Fisher: No, there was absolutely no damage to the building or the structures here whatsoever.
Question: Where was the plane headed?
Fisher: I don’t have access to the flight plan right now. I don’t know if the airport would have anything to say.
Question: Can you describe this fire and putting it out? I assume with jet fuel, that might have been a pretty intense fire.
Little: Yeah. We had a response from the airport with their ARFF vehicle as well. And just using copious amounts of water, high volume, we were able to extinguish the fire.
Question: Any challenges there?
Little: No. None at all.
Question: The plane was registered to an LLC. Is that a business based out of Lancaster Airport?
Fisher: We don’t know at this point.
Little: So, at this point we’re going to follow through the Lancaster County PIO’s office for additional questions and comments.
Question: Is NTSB or FAA on scene now?
Little: They are enroute at this point. Thank you.
Question: Would you consider this a miracle?
Fisher: I don’t know if I consider it a miracle but the fact that we have a plane crash where everybody survives and nobody on the ground is hurt is a wonderful thing.
Here is our full coverage of the crash and pictures and video of the incident.
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