A small plane crashed into the parking lot of Brethren Village retirement community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on Sunday afternoon, leaving five people injured and damaging around a dozen vehicles, according to local authorities.
The single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza went down around 3:18 p.m. ET, said Scott Little, chief of Manheim Township Fire, during a press conference. All five people on board were transported to Lancaster General Hospital, with three later transferred to the burn unit at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown for further treatment. The two other passengers have since been treated and released.
While approximately a dozen cars were damaged—five of them severely—no structural damage occurred to the retirement facility, and no one on the ground was harmed, Little confirmed.
Witnesses described the terrifying moment the plane crashed. Brian Pipkin told CNN that the aircraft veered left and suddenly nose-dived sideways. “It was so hot,” Pipkin said, describing the intense heat from the burning wreckage. “I was getting closer, praying to God that nothing would blow up.”
The fire from the crash was extinguished using “copious amounts of water,” Little added.
Preliminary reports indicate the pilot had radioed an open-door issue to air traffic control moments before the crash. The controller advised the pilot to “pull up” just before impact.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched investigations into the crash. The plane had departed from nearby Lancaster Airport and was en route to Springfield, Ohio, according to flight tracking data.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed that state police are assisting local first responders and emphasized that all state resources are available as the response continues.
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