A serious airplane crash occurred yesterday evening northeast of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, where a medical transport aircraft, a Learjet 55 registration XA-UCI, operated by the Mexican company Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, crashed shortly after takeoff from North Philadelphia Airport bound for Springfield National Airport for a scheduled stop; final destination Tijuana, Mexico. On board were six people: a sick little girl, her mother, a doctor, a paramedic, pilot and co-pilot, all Mexican citizens. Unfortunately, there were no survivors. The little girl had just completed life-saving treatment at Shriners Children's Hospital in Philadelphia and was returning home. There was no escape for all the occupants of the air ambulance.

The plane crashed in a residential area near Roosevelt Mall, causing an explosion that involved several homes and vehicles. Local authorities reported at least 19 people injured on the ground, some of whom were treated at local hospitals, and one fatality

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are conducting investigations to determine the exact circumstances of the crash. This tragic event follows a few days after another very serious aircraft crash in Washington, in which a collision between a passenger plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter caused the death of 67 people (see AVIONEWS).