'We have a lost aircraft': Philadelphia air traffic control tried to reach doomed plane

(This story has been updated with new information and video.)

Air traffic control communications reveal the moments when controllers tried to reach a doomed Medevac jet in Philadelphia, which crashed Friday night, killing at least 7 people and injuring at least 19.

The cause for the crash is not yet known. The Learjet 55 departed Northeast Philadelphia Airport at about 6:30 p.m. ET bound for Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri, and the pilot did not mention any problems in recorded air traffic control communications.

But the air traffic control tower caught on that there was an issue, the recordings suggest. “Medevac med service zero-five-six, northeast tower, are you on frequency?” a controller asks almost four minutes after the jet's takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport in an audio file downloaded from liveatc.net.

Then, a request for response from the aircraft is repeated by the controller. About five minutes later, another voice comes on the radio asking, "What's going on down there?"

"We have a lost aircraft," the operator responds. "We're not exactly sure what happened, so we're trying to figure it out. For now, the field is going to be closed, so no inbounds or outbounds, probably," the operator responds.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators were arriving at the crash site, said the Federal Aviation Administration, which will assist with the probe.

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Philadelphia plane crash victims

Aboard the plane was one pediatric patient, the child's mother and four crew members, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said. All six were from Mexico and were reported dead, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Saturday morning on X.

The plane crashed near the Roosevelt Mall at Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, a busy hub with dozens of businesses and hundreds of homes. The crash caused an explosion scatting debris, setting some homes and cars on fire and injuring some people on the ground, officials said.

Officials on Saturday morning confirmed an additional fatality: One person who was in their car when the medical flight crashed to the ground. At the time, they said 19 others have been injured but there could be others.

Philadelphia plane crash: Air traffic control recording hints at problem

The audio file on the air traffic broadcasting website includes more than 30 minutes of communications between the tower employees and crew on the plane. Air traffic controllers can be heard giving the plane approval to depart.

Tower employees give instructions to switch frequencies after the successful takeoff. A pilot acknowledges and switches radio frequencies.

Approximately a minute later, one controller makes another request for the plane to contact the tower, followed by about 30 seconds of silence. Within minutes, they realize there is an issue and shut down the airfield.

Where was the Medevac jet that crashed headed?

The aircraft with four crew members and two passengers – a young girl, who had been treated at Shriners Children's Philadelphia, and her mother – were headed to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.

The child was on her way home with a final destination of Tijuana, Shai Gold, who works on corporate strategy with Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, told CNN on Friday.

Contributing: Minnah Arshad, Shane Brennan, Jo Ciavaglia and Karissa Waddick; and Reuters.

Follow Mike Snider on Threads, Bluesky and X:  mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Philadelphia plane crash: Philly ATC tried to reach doomed plane