On Friday evening, a medical transport plane crashed 30 seconds after take off in the US state of Pennsylvania.
Initial reports stated that the plane had disappeared from flight radars shortly after take-off and is thought to have fallen out the sky at a speed of 11,000 feet per minute.
The aircraft was carrying a mother and her child alongside four crew members on route to the Mexican city of Tijuana via Springfield, Missouri.
All six passengers – who were Mexican nationals – are confirmed to have died in the crash, meanwhile Philadelphia’s mayor has reported one death and 19 injuries on the ground.
(Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Audio released from the air traffic control tower at Northeast Philadelphia Airport has now revealed the jet’s final moments.
The audio, which was originally published by Fox News, controllers can be heard giving the Medevac Learjet 55 departure details ahead of its scheduled take off.
Shortly after the plane takes off, controllers can be heard attempting to get in contact with the pilots, as the reality of the situation unfolds.
“What’s going on down there?” one controller can be heard saying, before a second voice confirms the news of a ‘lost aircraft’.
“We have a lost aircraft,” the second controller says. “We’re not exactly sure what happened. So, we’re trying to figure it out.
“The field is going to be closed so no inbounds-outbounds.”
A spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance added that the girl had been in Philadelphia for life-saving treatment. It’s understood that she’d completed her treatment and had been discharged ahead of the flight.
“When an incident like this happens, it’s shocking and surprising,” spokesperson Shai Gold said. “All of the aircraft are maintained, not a penny is spared because we know our mission is so critical.”
Meanwhile Philadelphia city managing director Adam Thiel has said it will likely take a couple more days until the number of casualties on the ground can be confirmed (via BBC).
What has Donald Trump said about the Philadelphia plane crash?
US president Donald Trump said the plane crash was ‘so sad’.
In a statement he added: “More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged.”
