The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary investigation into the Philadelphia medevac jet crash that killed seven people last month, just days after the country’s deadliest aviation disaster in over 20 years.
On board the crashed plane were Valentina Guzmán Murillo, an 11-year-old girl, and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Osuna, 31, who had just left Shriners Children's Hospital Philadelphia, where the child spent five months receiving life-saving treatment. The pair were heading home to Mexico on the aircraft with a planned pit stop at Springfield-Branson National Airport in Springfield, Missouri.
The Learjet 55 departed Northeast Philadelphia Airport around 6:06 pm. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft proceeded southwest before it turned slightly right then entered a gradual left turn, ultimately reaching 1,650 feet, according to the crash report.
The plane crashed a minute after it took off, killing everyone on board. Crew members, including two pilots and two medics, never issued a distress call, the new report states, noting the blackbox did not record the flight and had likely not been functioning for years.
The crew was in contact with the airport’s air traffic control tower at the time of the accident, according to officials.
Besides the mother and daughter, the other victims were Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo, 41, pilot Alan Montoya Perales, 46, copilot Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez, 43, and paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla, 41.
One person on the ground was also killed when the plane crashed into a residential and commercial area. Four people were seriously injured and 20 people incurred minor injuries. Security camera footage showed a large explosion triggered by the initial impact.
The wreckage debris field spanned roughly 1,410 feet in length and 840 feet wide. By morning, the crash site revealed an eight-foot-deep crater in the sidewalk. Debris penetrated numerous homes, commercial buildings and cars in the area, resulting in extensive damages, the report noted.
The report did not provide any details about what may have caused the crash. Federal investigators typically release a final report about a year after transportation incidents. The agency is currently analyzing an Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System recovered from the jet.
The crash occurred two days after an American Eagle regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. on January 29. All 64 people on board the plane died, as did the three soldiers on the helicopter. A preliminary report on that crash is due any day.
It was the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. since American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in Belle Harbor, New York two months after 9/11, killing 251 passengers, nine crew members and five people on the ground.
Faby Guzman, the aunt of the young girl killed in the Philadelphia crash, described Valentina as “brave” in her struggles with health issues in an interview with ABC 6.
“It was a long process from the day she was born,” Guzman said. "Her mom and dad were always with her many sleepless nights ... Lizeth always looked for a better quality of life for her daughter. We had many plans, but unfortunately, it didn't happen. Valentina was super smiley. She really liked me dancing for her and listening to music. She danced too and laughed."
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