John Jefferson
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently released video of officials combing through the debris and destruction left after the fatal Jan. 31 plane crash in Philadelphia, which killed at least seven people and injured 22 others.
The footage, which was shot on Sunday, showed the haunting aftermath of the Learjet 55 crash. The eerily-empty streets were strewn with debris, yellow tape and abandoned vehicles, as well as construction barriers guarding the scene of the crash.
One official stood in a crater-sized hole to inspect the rubble. Drone footage also shows the abandoned cars with broken windows covered in ash several yards away from the crater.
The crash, which involved a medevac jet, took place near the Roosevelt Mall at around 6:30 p.m. on Friday evening. The aircraft was departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at the time, en route to Missouri for a fuel stop and eventually Mexico.
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Jet Air Ambulance spokesperson Shai Gold told Fox News Digital that a passenger on the flight was a Mexican citizen who was in the U.S. for life-saving medical treatment. The young girl was headed home at the time with her mother.
In total, six people were on the plane, including four crew members. On Sunday, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said that at least 22 people were injured, and the seventh fatal victim was in a car at the time of the crash.
“Five of the victims remain hospitalized currently, and three of them are in critical condition,” the mayor said at the press conference. “We have not, out of respect for their families and their loved ones, shared the names of any of those who have been impacted. Please continue to lift them, their families and loved ones up in prayer.”
Fires erupted immediately after the plane crash, but Philadelphia fire officials eventually got the flames under control. Gold told Fox News Digital that the aircraft was “loaded with jet fuel that’s highly flammable.”
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“There is no indication that anybody survived, and by the debris field, I would be pleasantly surprised to learn otherwise,” Gold explained at the time.
The Jet Air Ambulance spokesperson added that the pilot aboard the Learjet was “a very seasoned pilot,” and that the co-pilot was also experienced.
“They know the job, and they do it many times,” Gold added. “We fly 600 to 700 missions a year. We are very busy, very active, and we keep top-notch staff.”
On Sunday, the NTSB announced that it had recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from the scene, which was found eight feet below the site of the initial impact. Investigators also found the aircraft’s enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS), which the NTSB says “could also contain flight data.”
“Both components will be sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, DC for evaluation,” the statement added. “NTSB investigators have recovered both engines. Wreckage recovery continues tomorrow and all of the wreckage will be sent to a secure location in Delaware for further examination.”
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner, Alexandra Koch and Lorraine Taylor contributed to this report.
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