Six people were aboard the plane, a sick transport, according to the US Aviation Authority FAA. Several buildings must have caught fire and people on the ground are said to have been injured.
The crash took place at a usually heavily trafficked intersection near the large mall Roosevelt template, with shops and restaurants.
“Heavy explosion”
Michael Schiavone, 37, who lives nearby, sat at home on Friday night, local time, when he suddenly heard a loud bang that made the house shake. He describes it as a minor earthquake and when he went through what his surveillance camera had recorded he saw something similar to a robot that struck a bit away.
– It was a powerful explosion, so at first I thought we were under attack, he says.
According to AP, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro says that all the state’s resources are available at the rescue work.
The event is investigated
Flight data shows that a smaller plane lifted from Northeast Philadelphia Airport shortly after 6 pm on Friday local time but disappeared from the radar only half a minute later.
The destination for sick transport was Springfield in Missouri.
What caused the crash is unclear. The US Aviation Authority FAA announces shortly after the incident that the crash will be investigated by the US Air Safety Authority NTSB.