Disturbing air traffic control audio was released of the final moments before the medical plane crash in a Philadelphia neighborhood on Friday evening.
The plane was carrying six people; two pilots, two medical staff, a little girl, and her mother. All six passengers were Mexican nationals and have all since been confirmed dead, with one person also dying on the ground due to the crash, according to BBC.
The plane crashed on take-off
The medical jet was transporting a little girl who had just finished a life-saving treatment and crashed near the Roosevelt Mall in a densely populated part of Philadelphia within 30 seconds of take-off.
The National Transport Safety Board said the entire flight didn’t even last a full minute, according to BBC.
Seven people confirmed dead
So far, there have been seven confirmed deaths following the crash. Six are the people who were on the jet who were identified by a spokesman for the NTSB according to BBC.
A seventh person has also died on the ground following the crash but has not been named.
The six people on the plane
The identified victims from the crash are Captain Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales, co-pilot Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez, Doctor Raul Meza Arredondo, paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla, the little girl Valentina Guzman Murillo, and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Ozuna.
The jet was on its way to the Mexican city of Tijuana via Springfield, Missouri.
Audio was recovered from the crash
The little girl and her mother had been at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia where the former was receiving the life-saving medical treatment.
Air traffic control audio before the crash, published by Fox New, reveals the moments of connection between the plane and air traffic control before it fell.
Controllers are heard trying to connect
Air traffic controllers are initially heard connecting with the Medevac Learjet 55, giving it instructions for departure. They are then heard attempting to connect with the jet, which evidently doesn’t respond.
“What’s going on down there?” one controller is heard asking as another one responds, “We have a lost aircraft.”
They couldn’t tell what happened
“We have a lost aircraft,” one air traffic controller is heard saying. “We’re not exactly sure what happened. So, we’re trying to figure it out,” he added.
“The field is going to be closed so no inbounds-outbounds,” the controller stated.
The jet company gave a statement
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Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the company which had been operating the flight, confirmed that there was a pilot, copilot, a physician and a paramedic on board the flight with the little girl and her mother.
It is understood that the girl had completed her treatment and been discharged before boarding the flight. They were heading to Tijuana in Mexico.
Spokesperson said aircrafts are maintained
“When an incident like this happens, it’s shocking and surprising,” said Shai Gold, the spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance.
“All of the aircraft are maintained, not a penny is spared because we know our mission is so critical,” Gold added. The cause of the crash is not yet determined.
Philadelphia is managing the situation
According to the BBC, Philadelphia city managing director Adam Thiel shared that it will most likely be a few days before they determine the final number of casualties on the ground.
So far there have been 22 injuries counted on the ground, with five people in the hospital.
This comes after another plane crash
This tragedy comes after another plane crash only two days prior in Washington DC, where an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas collided with a military jet as it was landing.
No survivors have been found from that crash either, after both aircrafts fell into the nearby Potomac River.
