A small plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon, injuring all five people aboard, officials reported. The incident occurred at approximately 3:18 p.m. EDT in a parking lot of a retirement community in Manheim Township, about 85 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
According to a statement from Manheim Township, all five individuals on the plane sustained injuries of unknown severity and were transported to local hospitals for medical treatment. Fortunately, no injuries were reported on the ground, and there were no fatalities. The Brethren Village facilities, located near the crash site, avoided significant damage, although several vehicles in the parking lot were damaged.
During a press conference, officials stated that when responders arrived, the aircraft was on fire. Manheim Township Police Chief Duane Fisher confirmed that about a dozen cars were damaged in the crash, with at least five vehicles suffering "severe damage." The fire was later extinguished.
FlightAware tracking data showed that the plane had departed from Lancaster Airport, located near the crash site, with a destination of Springfield, Ohio. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
Fisher explained that, as a precaution, authorities initially imposed a shelter-in-place order for the retirement community following the crash. However, he reassured residents, saying, "At no point did the plane or the aircraft strike any part of the structure. So, we're very confident that all safety concerns have been addressed as far as the facility here and everyone that lives here."
Fisher also expressed relief that no one on the ground was injured, stating, "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."
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is investigating the incident, identified the plane as a Beechcraft Bonanza. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed that state police were assisting first responders on the scene. "All Commonwealth resources are available as the response continues," Shapiro said in a post on X.
The crash comes amid a series of high-profile aviation incidents in the United States, including a crash involving a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet in Washington, D.C., earlier this year.
