Small Plane Crashes, Misses Retirement Home in Manheim Township, PA
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A single-engine airplane with five people on board crashed Sunday afternoon in a parking lot of a retirement community near a small airport in suburban Pennsylvania, officials said.
A press conference started at 6:15 to provide more information on the crash.
The crash happened around 3:30 p.m. just south of Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township, according to police. All aboard the plane were taken to the hospital, officials said at a 6:15 press conference.
Photos and a video from a scene showed a plane in flames in the parking lot at Brethren Village Retirement Community in Manheim Township.
That’s located less than a mile south of Lancaster Airport, across from Airport Road.
The aircraft was a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza, the Federal Aviation Administration told CNN.
It departed from Lancaster Airport, just north of the crash site, at 3:26 p.m. ET and was headed toward Springfield, Ohio, according to FlightAware.
One witness said the plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
“It was pretty high, but then it started veering left, and suddenly it nose-dived sideways while continuing to turn left,” Brian Pipkin told CNN.
Pennsylvania State Police are “on the ground assisting local first responders,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a post on X, adding that “all Commonwealth resources are available as the response continues.”
According to news reports and residents posting on Facebook, multiple ambulances converged on the crash scene.
Still, considering the proximity of the crash to the retirement community and the parking lot, it could have been worse.
Said Manheim Township Police Chief Duane Fisher at the conclusion of the press conference, “It’s a great day when you have a plane crash and everyone survives, and no one on the ground is hurt.”
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