A small plane carrying five passengers has crashed in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The incident has sent multiple people to hospital, and authorities report that the crash damaged several cars.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Per a report by 6ABC, the plane came down on top of a Lancaster County retirement village. The aircraft crashed into a parking lot at around 3:15 PM. The Brethren Retirement Village is south of Lancaster Airport, where the plane reportedly took off.
The outlet explains that emergency responders are 'amazed' there are no fatalities considering the widespread damage. Emergency Services rushed all five passengers to the hospital, but nobody on the ground was hurt. Authorities reportedly transferred three of the passengers to a burns center in Lee High Valley.
In an interview, Fire Chief Scott Little said, "Obviously, they had heavy fire on arrival from the aircraft. No structural damage occurred on the Brethren Village property. We did have multiple vehicles catch on fire due to the aircraft."
The FAA also provided a brief statement that corroborated the incident's time and how many people were on board. "A Beechcraft Bonanza crashed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, around 3 PM local time on Sunday, March 9. Five people were on board. The FAA will investigate."
A video from WRAL appears to show the aftermath of the crash. Several cars are strewn across the road, heavily damaged. You can also see the plane's tail dipping toward the ground and wreckage all over the tarmac.
The Plane May Have Skidded When It Hit The Ground
Manheim Police Chief Duane Fisher explains that the plane may have skidded "approximately 100" feet. The impact and subsequent fire reportedly damaged twelve cars. We don't know what caused the plane to crash, although we do know the pilot contacted the control tower at the airport asking to return. Per 6ABC, the pilot told air traffic control that a door was left open. The airport confirmed a runway was available for landing, but the crash happened moments later.
Per a report by Local 21 News, the small aircraft was on its way to Springfield, Ohio. The plane model was reportedly a 1981 Beechcraft A36 Bonanza Turboprop.
