5 People Survive Small Plane Crash But 12 Cars In The Parking Lot Were Not So Lucky

While the number of small plane crashes hasn't increased this year, the public is far more aware when they happen in light of the fatal mid-air collision at Reagan National Airport. This weekend was no different after a Beechcraft Bonanza carved a path of destruction through a row of parked cars in suburban Pennsylvania on Sunday. Despite the fiery crash, all five people onboard survived the violent wreck and were taken to nearby hospitals.

The small single-engine plane took off from Lancaster Airport and immediately suffered a severe mechanical issue, WPVI reports. The pilot told air traffic control that a door on the plane was open. He tried to return to the airport but never made it. The plane came down in Manheim near a retirement village roughly a mile from the runway. The Bonanza hit the ground in a fireball and slid for 100 feet, hitting a dozen cars before coming to a halt. The plane and several vehicles burned to a crisp. Duane Fisher, Manheim police chief, said at a press conference, "I don't know if I consider it a miracle but the fact we have a plane crash where everybody survives and nobody on the ground is hurt is a wonderful thing."

While no one was killed, the plane's occupants didn't walk away unscathed. Three people were taken to Lehigh Valley Burn Center, and the other two onboard were sent to Lancaster General Hospital. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash to determine its cause, but the head of the federal government already gave his two cents. President Donald Trump was asked if the crash was related to the recent mass firings at the FAA.  According to WGAL, Trump brushed off any implication that this might be his fault and answered:

Well, that has nothing to do with the department. There was a small plane and that would have happened whether he had a big department or a small department, as you understand. It's just they have spaces like this, you know, they have times when things happen a little bit more often than normal, and then it goes back, and you go many years without having a problem.

Local authorities pointed out that no one on the ground was hurt, and the plane didn't hit any buildings. This wasn't the case when a Jet Rescue Air Ambulance crashed near Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia earlier this year. The Learjet crashed just after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport and hit a gas line. Along with all six people on the jet, a person in a car was also killed and the massive explosion destroyed four homes. While there isn't a spike in plane crashes, the incidents are getting deadlier.