NTSB releases preliminary report on NE Phila. plane crash

PHILADELPHIA (WPHL) — The National Transportation Safety Board has released the preliminary report about the Northeast Philadelphia plane crash that happened on January 31.

According to the NTSB, the airplane was in the air for about one minute before it impacted a concrete sidewalk in a residential and commercial area and exploded upon impact.

Weather conditions on the night of January 31 showed overcast clouds, and 6-mile visibility.

The Learjet 55 airplane, which was transporting a patient, had two pilots on board, including two medical crew members, and two passengers. Everyone on board did not survive the crash.

Upon impact, the plane fatally injured one person on the ground, seriously injured four others, and 20 other people suffered minor injuries.

Preliminary data from the FAA shows that the plane departed runway 24 at Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), Philadelphia at 6:06 p.m. en route to Springfield-Branson National
Airport (SGF), Springfield, Missouri.

The plane then proceeded southwest before it turned right slightly, and then entered a gradual left turn. The airplane continued in the left turn and reached an altitude of 1,650 ft (airport elevation was 119 ft), stated the NTSB report.

The report also stated that the flight crew was in communication with PNE air traffic control tower throughout the duration of the flight and no “distress calls” were made.

Officials recovered the “black box” and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), which was located in the impact crater under 8 ft of soil and debris.

The recorder sustained “significant impact-related damage as well as liquid ingress” and no data from the accident flight was found.

“It was determined that the CVR had likely not been recording audio for several years,” said the NTSB report.

As part of the ongoing investigation, the airplane’s “Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System” was located and shipped to the manufacturer’s facility for evaluation. The EGPWS “may contain flight data in its nonvolatile memory.” The evaluation is still ongoing.

According to the NTSB, the pilot-in-command held an “airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane multiengine land and instrument airplane.” He had 9,200 total flight hours and also held a medical certificate issued by Mexico’s Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil (AFAC).

The second-in-command pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument privileges and had 2,600 total flight hours. He also held a medical certificate issued by AFAC.

At this time the investigation is still ongoing with the NTSB and FAA.