A Beechcraft Bonanza light-engine aircraft crashed in the US state of Pennsylvania, crashing into the car park of a nursing home on Sunday.
The aircraft had departed from Lancaster Airport and was en route to Springfield, Ohio. There were five people on board, all of whom were injured and hospitalised. About a dozen vehicles were also damaged in the crash, five of them seriously, local authorities said.
According to Manheim Township Fire Chief Scott Little, the crash occurred at 3:18 p.m. local time on the grounds of Brethren Village Nursing Home. No one on the ground was injured and the building itself was unharmed.
A frightening recording of air traffic control (ATC) conversations has shed light on the events leading up to the plane crash.
Newly released ATC audio reveals that the pilot reported an open door and significant wind noise, which may have contributed to the aircraft’s sudden descent.
“According to new audio, the pilot was heard telling ground agents that there was an open door and he couldn’t hear anything because of the wind noise,” a X user who shared the audio mentioned in the post.
“Pull up… the aircraft is down just behind the terminal in the parking lot tree area,” the air traffic controller could be heard saying.
The crash comes amid a string of plane crashes in the US, including the tragedy in Philadelphia on January 31 when a medical plane crashed, killing six passengers and one person on the ground.
