Multiple People Injured after Small Plane Carrying Five Passengers Crashes in Pennsylvania Neighborhood [WATCH]

A small aircraft crashed in a suburban area of Pennsylvania shortly after taking off on Sunday, injuring multiple people and setting several vehicles ablaze as it erupted into flames upon impact. Authorities said the plane, which had five people on board, went down in Brethren Village, Manheim Township, shortly after taking off from Lancaster Airport at 3:15 pm EDT.

Dramatic footage captured the moment the Beechcraft A36TC burst into flames in a parking lot at Brethren Village in Manheim Township. Paramedics, ambulances, and emergency crews quickly arrived at the scene in Lancaster County as flames engulfed the aircraft and several nearby vehicles as firefighters struggled to put off the flames.

Chaos and Panic Everywhere

The video shows the scorched wreckage of several vehicles engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing into the sky. In the video, the tail section of the aircraft—identified as a Beechcraft A36TC with the registration code N347M—can be seen burning near a nursing home.

The plane took off as planned on Sunday afternoon but soon requested to return to the runway after a door unexpectedly opened mid-flight. Chilling air traffic control recordings captured the pilot telling ground staff that they need to turn back.

However, at one point, he said that he was unable to hear the radio due to the loud wind noise caused by the unlatched door.

The air traffic controller can be heard instructing, "Pull up... the aircraft is down just behind the terminal in the parking lot tree area."

In a statement to the Daily Mail, an FAA spokesperson confirmed that five people were on board, all of whom were transported to local hospitals with varying injuries.

As a precaution, residents of the nearby retirement community were told to "shelter in place" while authorities conducted their initial investigation. However, officials later confirmed that the pilot managed to avoid hitting any buildings, and no one on the ground was injured.

Surrounded by Fire

The parking lot where the plane went down is just two streets from Lancaster Airport and is used by Brethren Village, a nearby retirement community. Reports indicate that the aircraft was on its way to Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Ohio.

The incident comes after a particularly turbulent start to the year for the aviation industry.

In January, tragedy struck when American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter while trying to land at Reagan National Airport, killing 60 passengers, four crew members, and three Army personnel.

Among those on board Flight 5342, which had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, were members of the U.S. figure skating team returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Just days later, a medical jet went down in Philadelphia, claiming the lives of all six people on board.

Soon after, a small aircraft carrying 10 passengers crashed in Alaska, leaving no survivors.

In February, a tragic midair collision at Arizona's Marana Airport resulted in two deaths. Photos from the scene showed one of the planes reduced to a heap of debris and ashes after crash-landing near the runway, while the other aircraft managed to land safely.

One of the planes appeared intact on the runway as law enforcement rushed to the site. Meanwhile, a thick column of black smoke rose above the airport and surrounding area following the collision.