All five people on board were injured when a single-engine plane crashed into a parking lot near a retirement community in Pennsylvania on Sunday, police said. Fortunately, “no injuries were reported on the ground.”
The crash happened shortly after the Beechcraft Bonanza plane took off from nearby Lancaster Airport, heading to Springfield, Ohio. It went down in Manheim Township, about 137 km northwest of Philadelphia.
The plane “crashed into the Brethren Village retirement community’s parking area and caught fire,” damaging about a dozen cars. Emergency crews found the aircraft on fire, which was quickly extinguished. “All five passengers were taken to nearby hospitals with injuries of unknown severity,” officials confirmed.
Manheim Township Police Chief Duane Fisher stated the plane “never hit any component of the building.” Still, as a precaution, residents were placed under a temporary shelter-in-place order, later lifted once the area was secured. Fisher added, “I’m not sure if I think of it as a miracle, but it’s amazing that everyone survived.”
The FAA is investigating, and the NTSB is expected to join. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said all state resources were available to assist the response.