Philadelphia plane crash investigation could take longer as NTSB consults Mexican authorities
It's been five days since a medical plane crashed in Northeast Philadelphia, leaving seven people dead.
CBS News Philadelphia found out Jet Rescue Air Ambulance had another plane crash 15 months ago in Mexico. The Mexico-based company confirmed it had another Learjet crash in 2023 as the aircraft was making a landing.
This information could be useful to the NTSB as the agency conducts its investigation in the U.S., according to a federal official. The Learjet 55 that crashed into a busy neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia left behind death and destruction.
CBS News Philadelphia learned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not have direct oversight over foreign companies. Instead, they rely on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Both the United States and Mexico are ICAO-member countries.
"They rely on the membership for aircraft certification for the oversight that the foreign country does on the aircraft owner and the pilots who fly it," said Arthur Wolk, an aviation plaintiffs' attorney and pilot of more than 50 years.
Wolk said the NTSB investigation should reveal a lot of crucial information.
"Hopefully, this investigation will include a thorough examination of the aircraft log books, which include two log books, one for each engine and one for the airframe, will include an examination of the pilot credentials, their records, their flying records, recent flight experience and qualifications to fly the Lear-55," Wolk said.
Because it's a foreign company, the Philadelphia investigation could be a bit more challenging for the NTSB.
"I would expect that the maintenance records are in Spanish," Wolk said, "so they're going to have to be interpreted and translated by someone who not only is Spanish speaking but also speaks aviation in Spanish."
The NTSB says there's little difference in an investigation involving foreign aircraft and pilots, but Mexican aviation authorities will contribute maintenance information and accident history. This could add 30-60 days to the investigative process.
CBS News Philadelphia learned the company had another Learjet crash in 2023 as the plane was making a landing. Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said Mexican investigators have not yet issued an accident report from the 2023 crash.
Meanwhile, attorney Tom Bosworth says he's representing a victim of the plane crash in Philadelphia and has started looking into the case.
"Was this a pilot error or some sort of mistake made by the crew, or are we looking at a catastrophic engine failure or mechanical issue," Bosworth said.
A spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said they adhere to FAA mandates, saying, "We conform with the manufacturer's maintenance directions and with regulatory requirements in Mexico, which are largely the same as in the USA."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
an hour ago
Coast Guard suspends search for plane that crashed off San Diego, killing 6
The Coast Guard suspended the search Tuesday for the wreckage of a small plane that crashed into the ocean shortly after taking off from San Diego, killing all six people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board said it will continue working to determine why the Cessna 414 crashed Sunday, but it doesn't expect to have any updates on the crash until it publishes its preliminary report about a month from now. With the wreckage still resting under a couple hundred feet of water, the NTSB's investigator isn't even immediately travelling to where the plane crashed about 3 miles (about 5 kilometers) off the coast of Point Loma, a San Diego neighborhood that juts into the Pacific. Authorities have not identified the people who died in the crash. The plane was scheduled to return to Arizona on Sunday — one day after it flew out to San Diego. A natural supplements company called Optimal Health Systems based in Pima, Arizona, said it sold the plane in 2023 to a group of individuals who are part of their small community. Air traffic controllers quickly became concerned about the plane after it failed to climb over 1,000 feet or turn back east after taking off. The pilot reported having trouble climbing and maintaining his heading before repeatedly calling out 'Mayday' before the plane disappeared from radar. This crash came just weeks after a small Cessna crashed into a San Diego neighborhood in foggy weather and killed six people. Those two are just the latest in a string of deadly crashes, mishaps and near misses in aviation this year ever since an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., in January, killing 67 people.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Youngstown City Schools appoints new principal and co-principal
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Youngstown City School District has appointed two new academic administrators. According to a press release, Dawn Walton will transition to co-principal at Harding Elementary School, and Moris Jadue has been named principal of Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. Walton has worked in education for 25 years and served the Youngstown district for seven years, including working as assistant principal at Channey Middle School for three years. She has also served as a 6th-grade ELA teacher at McGuffey as well as an instructional coach at East Middle School. Jadue previously served as assistant principal at Boardman High School for eight years. He has also taught Spanish and social studies at Boardman and Cardinal Mooney High School. 'These appointments mark another step in our ongoing commitment to educational excellence and developing and growing our teams to continue strengthening the district,' said Jeremy Batchelor, Superintendent of Youngstown City School District. The district also appointed Patrick Fecko as director of Athletics and Student Experience at Cardinal Mooney High School. Walton, Jadue and Fecko will begin their roles for the 2025-2026 school year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Carbondale City Hall foyer to get facelift, display donated historic items
Carbondale native Frank 'Chauncey' Zazzera donated four handmade models of historic Carbondale buildings to the city to honor his late best friend and share the history of his hometown. While the 81-year-old who now lives in Fell Twp. hoped the city would display the replicas — the former Carbondale viaduct, a Delaware and Hudson Gravity Railroad roundhouse that was once in the city, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and the Pugliano building at Enterprise Drive and Dundaff Street — his donation inspired a renovation project to give Carbondale's 130-year-old-plus City Hall a revitalized foyer. The replicas were all handcrafted by fellow Carbondale native Harold Ort, and Zazzera donated them to the city in honor of his longtime best friend, Roy Miley of Carbondale, who died in 2023. 'I'd just like the people of Carbondale to really enjoy it. I just don't want them to stay in my attic. Who's going to see them up there?' Zazzera said. 'This way, everybody can see them and reminisce.' Models that were inspired by churches in Carbondale will be displayed in the foyer of Carbondale City Hall Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Built in 1892-1894, Carbondale City Hall at 1 N. Main St. is a Romanesque Revival-style brick and bluestone building that has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983, according to a building study in January by Martina Bacarella Architect, a Scranton-based architecture studio. City Hall underwent a comprehensive renovation project in 1996 that included upgrading the fire-suppression system, redesigning the council chambers, installing an elevator and enclosing a staircase in the rear of the building for accessibility, but the improvements didn't touch the foyer aside from adding the current oak doors into City Hall, Mayor Michele Bannon said. The front of Carbondale City Hall Tuesday. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) When Zazzera approached her about donating his collection of replicas to display in City Hall, Bannon thought it would be the perfect opportunity to upgrade the foyer. 'When you walk into a grand building like City Hall … you want it to be beautiful. You want it to be opulent,' she said. 'I thought that'd be a great way to show off our history, but at the same time, make it an elegant piece of the building.' Now, work is underway to upgrade the foyer's interior, with Bannon hoping to finish the improvements by the end of the month using a $3,000 grant from the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority. The city is also in the engineering phase of a project to upgrade its police station, which is in City Hall, including upgraded workstations for officers and enhanced security, she said. The police station project will use $300,000 in funds from the state's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, or RACP, Bannon said. She hopes to complete the police station project this year, though it could spill over into 2026. A view of the interior of Carbondale City Hall Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) City Hall's foyer is currently being repainted, with other work including new furniture like railroad-style benches, displays for Zazzera's donations, revitalized tile flooring and potentially more lighting, said Bannon, who lauded the donated labor the city has received. For interior design, a local woman, Lynn Wallis, toured the foyer and gave the city suggestions for color palettes, furniture and displays. Adams Cable donated large, framed prints of historic Carbondale scenes to display; Councilman Walter Martzen refurbished and re-plastered a water-damaged wall; city zoning and code enforcement officer Doug Calzola, who is also a contractor, is overseeing the project; residents Margie Famularo and Marjanie Hellman provided technical assistance and support; and inmates from SCI Waymart are painting the interior, Bannon said. 'Everything is volunteer — the only thing we've paid for are materials,' she said. 'Every single person has donated their time, their treasures and their talent.' For Zazzera, displaying the replicas will showcase pieces of Carbondale's history that younger generations never got to see, especially regarding the D&H Railroad and its history. 'It's part of our history, and it's never going to go away,' Zazzera said. Zazzera recalled Ort, who he knew since the 1960s, building the models himself as part of a sprawling Lionel model train collection. Ort was a master electrician, Zazzera said. 'He was a very clever fellow,' he said, noting the viaduct and roundhouse were both made to scale. 'He had so many switches and components in that roundhouse that the actual turntable inside the roundhouse would turn.' After Ort died in 2018, Zazzera and his late best friend, Miley, approached Ort's wife to buy some of the buildings from his collection. When Miley passed away in 2023, Zazzera reached out to the Carbondale Historical Society about donating the items, but with the society tucked away on the third floor of City Hall, he hoped more people could see them, prompting him to contact Bannon. 'I want them someplace that people could see and appreciate what this is,' he said. The displays will be in memory of Miley while crediting Ort for making them, Zazzera said. In the future, Bannon wants to seek grant funding to address City Hall's exterior, with the largest expense being to replace its single-pane windows, which are original to the building. Several years ago, the city received an estimate that replacing the windows would cost nearly $1 million, she said. 'How can we expect developers and investors and existing business owners to make improvements in their properties if we're not willing to do them in ours?' Bannon said, emphasizing the need to use grants, donations and volunteerism to avoid overburdening taxpayers. 'I can't embellish enough how blessed we are to have so many people who want to see us thrive.'
