Black box recovered from fiery Philadelphia air ambulance crash; more victims identified

Editor's note: This page reflects news on the airplane crash in Philadelphia from Sunday, Feb. 2. For the ?latest updates, read ?USA TODAY's coverage for Monday, Feb. 3.

PHILADELPHIA — Investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the air ambulance that plunged into a Philadelphia neighborhood, killing seven people and injuring over 20 others, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Sunday.

The cockpit voice recorder, commonly known as a "black box," was located at the site of initial impact, at a depth of 8 feet, the NTSB said in a statement. Investigators also recovered the plane's enhanced ground proximity warning system, which could also contain flight data.

"Both components will be sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, D.C. for evaluation," the NTSB said. "Wreckage recovery continues tomorrow and all of the wreckage will be sent to a secure location in Delaware for further examination."

The Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, a Learjet 55, had flown to Philadelphia from Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport earlier Friday. The plane took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at about 6:30 p.m. and quickly took a nosedive, slamming into the ground at about 300 mph, according to initial reports. The flight was bound for Branson, Missouri, before heading to its destination in Mexico.

All six people aboard the plane ? a pilot and copilot, two medical personnel, a patient and her mother ? died in the crash, authorities said. One person in a car on the ground also was killed.

Claudia Agatón Mu?iz, the mayor of Ensenada, Mexico, posted information on social media identifying the pediatric patient as resident Valentina Guzmán Murillo and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Osuna. Mu?iz said the city would help return the bodies to family members in Ensenada.

Jet Rescue identified the pilots and medical crew aboard the Learjet on Sunday. They were identified as Capt. Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales; copilot Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez; Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo; and paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla.

Philadelphia officials have not released the name of a seventh person on the ground, who died after their car was hit with debris.

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Pediatric patient reportedly had spinal condition

Valentina was 11 and her mother was 31, a family friend whose daughter was classmates with Valentina, told The New York Times. César Esparza said Valentina had been treated at Shriners Children’s in Philadelphia since the end of August for multiple medical issues stemming from a spinal condition.

The hospital has declined to provide details citing patient privacy rights but has said in a statement it was hard to find treatment for her condition in Mexico.

Death toll could still rise

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said Sunday that it was unclear how many people were displaced by the fire that roared through the neighborhood, damaging or destroying almost a dozen homes. Over 20 people were injured and five people remained hospitalized Sunday, she said. No number on the missing was released.

The city will host a town hall meeting for residents of the area Wednesday evening, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Elizabeth Rodriguez told the Inquirer she has family living inside the section of the neighborhood that was closed off by a secured police perimeter.

“They have two kids inside, at least their power is back,” Rodriguez said.

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Philadelphia residents seek answers about fatal crash

From dawn through mid-afternoon on Saturday, people came to see where the air ambulance crashed in northeast Philadelphia.

They streamed up Bustleton Avenue, a major thoroughfare in a densely populated middle-class neighborhood of shops and row homes. When they reached Cottman Avenue, they saw what remained of Friday evening's nightmare.

A crater was blown out of Cottman, where the aircraft took a nosedive into the ground at 247 knots, about 300 mph. Two chunks of the charred fuselage and several burned cars were in the street.

“I couldn’t sleep last night,” said Bill Vitelli, who recalled the explosion shook his house windows "the way they do when a boom car passes." He lives 3 miles away from the scene.

“We’ll know what happened, eventually, but why do these things happen? Maybe only God can explain it,” he said.

Contributing: Bucks County Courier Times

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deadly Philadelphia air ambulance crash: Officials recover black box