A man sitting in a restaurant was hit by flying debris from the doomed medical jet that crashed in Northeast Philadelphia, which killed all six onboard and injured at least 22 others on the ground.
The unidentified man was sitting at the Four Seasons Diner on Cottman Avenue when a piece of metal believed to be from the Learjet 55 plane crashed through the glass window, Fox 29 reported. The diner is located about half a mile from the crash site.
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“We all pretty shaken but everyone is OK,” the diner manager Ayhan Tiryaki told The New York Post. “The one customer was hit in the head with a piece of metal and he was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. We don’t know exactly how he is but we hope he’ll be OK.”
He added no one else was hurt in the incident.
Footage from inside the Four Seasons Diner last night. The man with the hat was hit, thankfully not seriously injured. Crazy! #Philadelphia #planecrash pic.twitter.com/oMZmLB3Hsb
— AC (@ACinPhilly) February 1, 2025
Another video emerged on social media showing the aftermath of the incident, in which a cardboard is seen taped to a restaurant window.
Black Box recovered
As per a 6ABC report, the black box, which contains the voice recording of the cockpit of an aircraft, has been recovered from the plane.
The black box was found eight feet underground at the crash site, the National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday (Feb 2) evening.
Also read | Small plane crashes in Philadelphia, setting homes on fire; child patient among those on board
While the crash left a field of debris behind it, the black box was in “decent shape”, reported 6ABC, citing a source.
The plane’s enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS), which could contain flight data, has also been recovered, said NTSB. Both components will be sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington DC for investigation, officials said.
Also read | Washington DC Crash: Flight data raises more questions as discrepancies arise
Philadelphia plane crash
Less than a minute after taking off from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport shortly after 6 pm, Learjet 55 aircraft that was carrying six Mexican nationals crashed in a busy area. The plane was bound for Missouri’s Springfield-Branson National Airport.
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The crash not only killed the ones on board but also resulted in one death and injured several others on the ground who were near the crash area in homes, parking lots and on the street. A man in a car nearby also lost his life in the tragic crash.