Deadly Philly plane crash destroyed 4 homes and ‘impacted’ hundreds; 4 people remain hospitalized; cause still unknown

More than 300 homes were affected — and four destroyed entirely — by Friday’s deadly plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia, officials said Monday as the extent of the disaster came into focus even as questions remained about what caused the crash and who will pay for recovery effort.

Walking amid the debris, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker toured the crash site together, received briefings from investigators, and held a news conference to reassure the neighborhood around Cottman Avenue and the Roosevelt Boulevard that help is on the way.

But it remained unclear what government resources will be available to homeowners and businesses affected by the crash, which killed seven people and injured 24. (Officials have cautioned that casualty numbers are still in flux as the investigation unfolds and people continue to report missing loved ones.)

The first police officers arrived minutes after the plane fell from the sky.

“It landed on the plaza there,” an officer called over his radio. “The plane that landed crashed into the plaza!”

“Stuff’s still blowin’ up!” another yelled. Sirens and screams echoed in the background.

Airplanes falling out of the sky. A whiplash of headlines detailing the latest developments with federal funding freezes and international tariffs. The spread of bird flu and soaring egg prices. Devastating California wildfires.

If the world feels particularly chaotic right now, that’s because it is. And if you’re feeling anxious, it’s not just you.

“There is a lot of uncertainty in the world, and we are wired to feel anxious when things are uncertain,” said Alissa Jerud, a licensed clinical psychologist at Penn Medicine and author of the forthcoming book Emotion-Savvy Parenting.

The medical transport jet that crashed into Northeast Philadelphia on Friday night had left from Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE) shortly before.

The airport, which was founded in 1945, does not offer any commercial airline service. Aircrafts that use PNE include charter and medical flights as well as flights for organ transplants, and law enforcement, according to Heather Redfern, public affairs manager for the city’s Department of Aviation. Skydiving and banner towing also operate out of PNE as well as four flight schools and a maintenance institute, said Redfern.

Last year, the airport, which employs 21 department of aviation workers, had an average of 334 flights take off per day, according to Redfern. In total, some 122,186 flights landed or departed from there in 2024.

Philadelphia police have obtained videos recorded by neighboring businesses that show the medical transport jet crashing into Cottman Avenue on Friday evening near a moving vehicle that was carrying three people, one of whom died, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

Police officials showed the videos to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, Gov. Josh Shapiro, and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury while the trio was at the crash site Monday to tour the impact area and hold a news conference, said the source, who was not authorized to disclose the information.

The man who died is the only confirmed fatality from the crash aside from the six people who were on the plane, all of whom were Mexican nationals.

The vast majority of insured homeowners, renters, and drivers are covered in the event that an airplane crash damages their house, apartment, or car.

That’s according to several national insurance experts, speaking broadly about hypothetical claims in light of Friday's fatal medical jet crash in Northeast Philadelphia.

Most homeowners’ policies cover damage caused by “falling objects,” which include everything from trees to satellite debris to planes, said Bob Passmore, department vice president of personal lines at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, a national trade association for insurers.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said information from the medical jet’s black box has yet to be recovered and analyzed, but hopes to have more answers on what caused the crash in Northeast Philadelphia soon.

“We hope to get their preliminary report within 30 days,” Duffy told reporters at a Monday news conference. “We have committed to being as transparent as possible with the information as it comes out.”

Duffy said the plane had a voice recorder but not a data recorder, but investigators might be able to get some data off the device. The black box was heading to Washington, D.C., Monday, Duffy said.

Twenty-four people were injured in Friday night’s plane crash, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said Monday, an increase from the 22 injuries officials reported previously.

Parker said four people remain hospitalized — two were in critical condition, while two were in stable condition.

The two additional injuries to the total came from a Philadelphia police officer who was treated for smoke inhalation and released, and a firefighter who had a heart attack and is expected to recover, Parker spokesperson Joe Grace said.

A sense of uneasiness and disarray hung over a Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood Sunday, two days after an airplane plummeted into a busy street, killing at least seven people, injuring 22 others, and spewing wreckage for blocks.

In the densely populated residential area, 11 homes and an untold number of businesses were damaged. Churches were closed Sunday; so was the nearby mall. Buses were diverted, and people were trapped in their rowhouses, some in too much despair to leave their blocks.

“It’s all so unusual,” said Nicole Geraldo, who lives nearby. “I just keep thinking about [it]. Can’t get it out of my head.”

Road closures continue to be in effect at the site where a medical jet crashed in Northeast Philadelphia Friday night.

Cottman Avenue remains fully closed between Bustleton Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard. The closure includes sidewalks and the Cottman Avenue bridge over the boulevard.

"This closure means that pedestrians, including students, SEPTA commuters, and residents who normally use Cottman Avenue will need to consider using an alternate pedestrian route or mode of travel," city officials said in a statement.