Philadelphia officials are asking anyone who have not heard from friends or relatives who may have been in the area of a plane crash on Friday to report them missing as they try to finalize the search for victims. All six onboard the Jet Rescue Learjet 55 were killed as was a person in a car hit by debris. There were 22 people injured on the ground and five remain in local hospitals. As we reported Friday, the plane was on its way to Mexico with a child who had been discharged from Shriners’ Children’s Hospital. She, her mother, two medical crew and two pilots were on the plane when it dove at high speed into a residential area next to a shopping mall in Northeast Philadelphia in the early evening.
So far there are few clues as to what might have led to the crash. The plane, fully loaded with fuel, was in the air for a less than a minute when it plunged vertically to a “high impact” crash. The NTSB is hoping for some insight from the cockpit voice recorder, which they found eight feet underground in the crash crater. Investigators also found a ground proximity warning system that they hope will yield some data. A spokesman for the jet’s operator said the crew was experienced and the aircraft well maintained. All those on the plane were Mexican nationals.
