A Small plane has crashed into the parking lot of a retirement village in Manheim, Pennsylvania, bursting into flames and injuring all five people on board.
Emergency services rushed to the scene at Brethren Village Retirement Community just after 3:18pm on Sunday, where thick plumes of black smoke were seen billowing into the sky.
Miraculously, no one on the ground was hurt, and the aircraft narrowly missed crashing into the nearby residential buildings.
The Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft had just departed from Lancaster Airport—less than a mile away—when the pilot reported an issue with a cabin door that wouldn’t close properly.
According to Air Traffic Control (ATC) audio, the pilot contacted the control tower and requested to return to the airport due to the door malfunction. Moments later, ATC urgently instructed the pilot to “pull up,” but the plane had already begun its descent.
Officials confirmed the plane slammed into the retirement home’s parking area, landing directly on top of several vehicles and sparking a fierce fire. At least five cars were severely damaged or engulfed in flames.
Footage posted to social media shows the wreckage consumed by fire, with flames spreading across the lot and firefighters dousing the area with jets of water. The scorched remnants of the plane could be seen resting atop a car, its tail tilted upward as smoke poured from the fuselage.
‘Immediate fireball’
Eyewitness Brian Pipkin, who was driving nearby, said he saw the plane suddenly veer left before nosediving into the ground.
“And then it went down nose first,” Pipkin recalled. “There was an immediate fireball.”
He called 911 and drove to the crash site, capturing dramatic video of the burning wreckage. “It was so smoky and it was so hot,” he said. “They were really struggling to get the fire out.”
Fire Chief Scott Little confirmed that all five people onboard were hospitalized. Their conditions have not yet been released.
Police Chief Duane Fisher praised the outcome, saying: “The fact that we have a plane crash where everybody survives and nobody on the ground is hurt is a wonderful thing.”
“At no point did the plane strike any part of the structure,” he added.
Governor’s response
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued a statement saying: “Our team at [Pennsylvania Police] is on the ground assisting local first responders following the small private plane crash near Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township.
“All Commonwealth resources are available as the response continues, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.”
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Recent air tragedies
The incident comes just weeks after a tragic crash in Philadelphia, where a medical jet plunged into a street shortly after takeoff, killing six—including a young girl and a pedestrian.
This latest crash in Manheim, while alarming, resulted in no loss of life—a fact officials say is nothing short of extraordinary given the circumstances.
