A small plane crashed near a retirement community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
The plane crashed in Manheim Township, according to the Lancaster City Police Bureau. While authorities have not yet released details on injuries or fatalities, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that five people were on board the Beechcraft Bonanza, a single-engine plane. Local news station WGAL reported that multiple ambulances have arrived at the scene.
Video footage shows the wreckage of the plane burning with thick smoke. The FAA will investigate the cause of the crash, which follows a deadly midair collision in January and a series of recent crashes across the U.S.
The plane took off from Lancaster Airport, located just north of the crash site, at 3:26 p.m. ET and was heading to Springfield, Ohio, according to FlightAware.
Pennsylvania State Police are helping local responders, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that all state resources are being made available to assist with the response.
One witness, Brian Pipkin, said the plane crashed shortly after taking off.
“It was pretty high, but then it started veering left, and suddenly it nose-dived sideways while continuing to turn left,” Pipkin told CNN.
Pipkin said he ran to the parking lot of the retirement community, where he saw the plane’s cockpit in flames.
He described the heat as feeling like opening a 500-degree oven. “It was so hot,” he said. “I was getting closer, praying to God that nothing would blow up.”
Pipkin also said several cars were hit by the plane and caught fire.
This is a developing story.
