Small Aircraft crashes in Pennsylvania, leaves five injured

A Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashed in Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon, carrying five passengers, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The small aircraft went down near a retirement village just south of Lancaster Airport shortly after takeoff, authorities reported. Officials believe the plane skidded about 100 feet upon impact. Fortunately, no injuries were reported on the ground.

Emergency responders swiftly transported all five passengers to Lancaster General Hospital, where trauma and emergency teams were on standby. According to a hospital spokesperson, three of the injured were later moved to Lehigh Valley Health Network’s burn center, while the other two were discharged on Sunday night.

Venture Jets, a private aviation company, confirmed that one of its executive board members, Matt White, was piloting the plane at the time of the crash.

“We can confirm that Sunday’s tragic aircraft mishap at Lancaster Airport involved one of our family — Matt White. Matt is a long-time aviation advocate and Private Pilot, as well as an Executive Board Member for our company,” the company said in a statement. They clarified that the flight was a personal trip and not affiliated with their operations.

According to audio from Air Traffic Control, the pilot had reported an issue before the crash, stating that “an open door” forced them to return for landing.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into the incident to determine the cause of the crash.