Did Anyone Survive the Philly Plane Crash?

All six occupants were killed when, in February 2025, a Learjet 55 air ambulance crashed shortly after taking off from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. At least nineteen people on the ground survived the fireball crash, although given the amount of flaming rubble, it may be several days before investigators determine the final tally.

The plane took off, reached about 1,500 feet of altitude and then plummeted in a steep descent, crashing less than a minute after takeoff in what National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy called a “high-impact crash” that left the plane “highly fragmented.”

Philadelphia’s managing director Adam Thiel the seven dead included six on the jet and a person in a car. Most of the injured had been treated and released, hospitals said. There are “a lot of unknowns about who was where on the streets” when the plane crashed, and it is possible that the casualty figures will grow, Thiel added.

The plane hit the ground just after 6 p.m., during a busy Friday evening dinner hour less than three miles from the airport.

“All of sudden I heard like a ‘boom,’ and I thought it was a thunderstorm,” one witness stated. “And I get up and look at the smoke and the fire, it was like a balloon. I thought it was a gas station that blew up.”

Of the six people on board the medical transport jet, one was a child who had just completed treatment at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia hospital, one was her mother and four were crew members, officials said.

Small Plane Crashes

Learjet and other small plane crashes are disturbingly common. In fact, the small aircraft crash rate is twenty-five times higher than the commercial airline crash rate. As was the case with the Philadelphia small plane crash, most of these wrecks occur during or shortly after takeoff or landing.

Common causes of small plane crashes include:

• Mechanical Failure: Advanced small planes have an almost unbelievable number of moving parts. If all these parts don’t work together perfectly, a crash is almost inevitable, especially during the strain of takeoff and landing.
• Maintenance Issues: Pilots and passengers trust mechanics to keep small planes in tip-top shape. Unfortunately, often at the behest of their employers, many mechanics only do the minimum amount of work necessary. As most of us know, minimum effort typically yields minimum results.
• Pilot Error: Confidence is a desirable trait for pilots. Overconfidence is a disastrous quality. Many pilots approach problems with an “I’ve got this “ attitude that puts themselves, and their passengers, at risk. Other issues, such as flicker vertigo

Sometimes, these issues overlap. Lack of fuel is a good example. A pilot may not worry about low fuel and the reserve tank may not switch over properly, due to a manufacturing or maintenance error.

These various causes of small plane crashes create multiple and complex liability issues for an Airplane Accident Attorney in Los Angeles. More on that below.

Severe burns may be the most common plane crash injuries. Aviation fuel burns at a different temperature from ordinary gasoline. As a result, flaming fuel causes severe burns that must be treated at expensive regional burn centers, if the victim survives these burns, and that’s a big “if.”

Liability Issues

Pilots are legally accountable for pilot error crashes. An insurance company is normally financially responsible for damages in these cases. Flight insurance policies typically have very high coverage limits, so victim compensation is usually substantial in these cases.

Usually within a few hours of a plane crash, insurance companies assemble teams of lawyers who have only one job, which is to reduce or deny compensation to victims, regardless of fault, need, or any other factor.

If poor maintenance caused a wreck, under the respondeat superior doctrine, the company that employed the mechanic is usually on the hook for damages. This doctrine applies if the tortfeasor (negligent actor) was:

• An employee
• Working within the scope and course of employment at the time.

California law defines respondeat superior in broad, victim-friendly terms. The definition of “employee” is a good example. Many mechanics are independent contractors or other non-employees for tax and most other purposes. Generally, however, these individuals are always employees for negligence purposes. A slight degree of employer control, such as designating a work location, is all that’s required.

Defective part crashes may be the most complex matters. Liability itself is usually straightforward. An Airplane Accident Lawyer must prove, by a preponderance of the evidence (more likely than not) that a manufacturing or design defect caused the wreck, or that the company knew about the defect and negligently failed to warn customers.

The nuts and bolts are different. Usually, the manufacturer is an out-of-state or offshore holding company with vast resources and no compassion for victims.

Consult Our Experienced Personal Injury Attorney!

One way or another, plane crash victims are almost always entitled to compensation. For a free consultation with a Personal Injury Attorney California, contact the Law Offices of Eslamboly Hakim. We routinely handle matters throughout the Golden State.

Credit: Photo by Midjourney