Flames, smoke: Plane crashes in Pennsylvania retirement village parking lot
A plane crashed into a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, retirement village parking lot Sunday afternoon, leaving multiple people injured and sparking a fire that engulfed nearby vehicles.
The plane came down just south of the in the parking lot of in the Fieldcrest Building. That's in the area of Fairview Drive and Meadowview Court in Manheim Township.
There were five people on board the plane. All were taken to area hospitals.
No one on the ground was hurt. None of the buildings were hit, according to fire officials. Route 501 is shut down near the crash.
At a news conference in the wake of the crash, Manheim Township Police Chief Duane Fisher was asked if he thought the result of the crash was a miracle, he said:
"I don't know if I consider it a miracle, but the fact that we have a plane crash where everybody survives and nobody on the ground is hurt is a wonderful thing."
Hazmat was called to the scene to contain any hazardous materials. NTSB and the FAA have been called to the scene to investigate.
Video from the scene shows smoke wafting from at least four vehicles in the parking lot. You can see that below.
Video below: This plumes of smoke billow from crashed plane.
Radio Call
The pilot could be heard telling air traffic control they needed to return because a door was open. They were cleared to land. Shortly after that, air traffic control could be heard telling the pilot to pull up.
Flight details
According to Flight Aware, the plane had taken off from Lancaster Airport around 3:30 p.m. and was headed to Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Ohio.
According to Flight Aware, there were five people on board. It was a private Beechcraft airplane, which is a six-seater aircraft.
What is Brethren Village?
Brethren Village bills itself as a community with "flexible retirement living with floor plan choices, private cottages and apartments."
The nonprofit sits on 153 acres of land.
Plane crash summary
- A plane crashed Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of Brethren Village, a retirement community in Lancaster County.
- Crash occurred near the Lancaster Airport, close to Fairview Drive and Meadowview Court in Manheim Township.
- Crash caused a fire that spread to nearby vehicles but did not damage any buildings.
- Five people were on board the plane. All were taken to local hospitals.
- No injuries reported for people on the ground.
- Hazmat teams called to the scene to address hazardous materials.
- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigating incident.
- Route 501 near the crash site closed.