MAYDAY

Air Traffic Audio Reveals Small Plane’s Final Moments Before Pennsylvania Crash

The single-engine airplane had five people on board before it crashed into a retirement parking lot.

Air traffic control audio captured from a small airplane with five people on board has revealed the moments before it narrowly missed a retirement village and crashed into a parking lot in suburban Pennsylvania Sunday afternoon. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Beechcraft Bonanza crashed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, around 3 p.m. local time on Sunday. According to the Associated Press, the crash site is close to Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township, and police have been unable to provide information on fatalities. Audio obtained by ABC News indicates the pilot had flagged a problem with the Lancaster Airport control tower, telling them he “has an open door we need to return for landing.” The plane was given the green light to land, but seconds later air traffic control tells the plane to “pull up,” according to ABC. Someone can then be heard saying the plane was down. One witness, Brian Pipkin, told the Associated Press, “it went down nose first. There was an immediate fireball.” Pipkin added of first responders: “It was so smoky and it was so hot. They were really struggling to get the fire out.” The FAA said it will investigate the incident.