A PLANE has crashed into a retirement village parking lot and burst into ferocious flames, injuring five people.
Emergency services rushed to the residential neighborhood in Manheim, Pennsylvania, to find black smoke filling the skies.
The plane avoided smashing into buildings by mere meters, but landed on top of cars, “severely” damaging five and set some ablaze, officials said.
Scott Little, the fire chief in Manheim Township, said all five aboard had been taken to hospital, but did not give an update on their conditions.
Nobody on the ground was injured and no buildings were damaged.
The light aircraft came down in the parking lot of Brethren Village Retirement Home, just off the Lititz Pike road, at 3:18pm on Sunday.
The Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft had taken off from Lancaster Airport – less than a mile away.
According to audio from Air Traffic Control, the pilot told the Lancaster Airport control tower that one of the doors was open, so he needed to “return for landing.”
ATC cleared the plane to return, but a few seconds later urged the pilot to “pull up”.
Footage posted to social media shows a wreckage burning fiercely amongst parked cars, with sections of the metalwork disintegrating.
Nearby cars can also be seen blazing away, and the plane’s tail appears to be propped up on vehicle.
Huge jets of water can be made out, shot into the flames by fire fighters.
Brian Pipkin was driving nearby when he noticed the plane climbing before it suddenly veered to the left.
He said: “And then it went down nose first. There was an immediate fireball.”
Pipkin called 911 and then drove to the crash site, where he recorded video of the aftermath.
He continued: “A fire truck from the airport arrived within moments, and more first responders followed quickly.
“It was so smoky and it was so hot. They were really struggling to get the fire out.”
Duane Fisher, Manheim Township Police Chief, said: “At no point on the ground was anyone injured, at no point did the plane or aircraft strike any part of the structure.
“The fact that we have a plane crash where everybody survives and nobody on the ground is hurt is a wonderful thing.
“Anytime you have transportation, you always have risk when people are moving, but having this type of ending so far is a great day for us.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said: “Our team at [Pennsylvania Police] is on the ground assisting local first responders following the small private plane crash 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.”
Manheim is just south of Lancaster, south-east Pennsylvania.
This comes barely a month after another plane crash in the state, when a medical jet plunged into a Philadelphia street – killing six.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/13735749/plane-crashes-parking-lot-pennsylvania/
