On the evening of Jan. 31, 2025, Philadelphia experienced what Mayor Cherelle L. Parker would describe as one of the worst black swan events in the city’s history when a medical jet crashed in Northeast Philadelphia, near a mall and rowhouse neighborhoods, killing all six people on board and one person on the ground, and injuring two dozen others, including a woman who ultimately died months later.
The staff of the Philadelphia Inquirer jumped into action and provided nearly round-the-clock coverage from minutes after the jet crashed that Friday night, throughout the weekend, and into the next week.
As scores of first responders rushed to contain the fiery blaze that erupted after the crash, Inquirer reporters, photographers, and videographers quickly made their way to the scene, where they provided real-time updates and visuals documenting the devastation to the neighborhood and the search for victims. Our live coverage on Inquirer.com and social media platforms continued late into the night with updates and visuals from the scene and details we learned about the plane and who was on it — a young patient who had been receiving medical treatment in Philadelphia, her mother, and four crew members.
That coverage continued over the following days, with ongoing live updates from the crash scene, details about the victims, and developments in the investigation. We also quickly posted an explainer outlining what was known about the tragedy, which we continued to update for days as more information emerged. In the first days after the crash, we also published a harrowing story recounting the crash from the perspective of those who witnessed it; a story on the pediatric patient and the impact she had on hospital staffers who had cared for her; a closer look at the medical jet, its owner, and records; profiles of the victims; and a moment-by-moment look reconstructing how the crash unfolded, as described by witnesses, victims, officials, and emergency responders; as well as continuously updated main stories that summarized each day’s developments.
We aimed to help our community understand and absorb the shocking event with thorough, measured reporting: Within three days of the crash, we had published 15 news articles, two opinion pieces, two photo galleries, and multiple videos, all of which were distributed to readers through our website, newsletters, and social platforms. In early coverage, we focused on the vital information Philadelphians needed in those initial moments — the impact on the ground, the scope of the road closures and debris field, the status of the fire at the site. As more clarity emerged on what had happened, we shed light on the victims, aircraft, and recovery efforts, all with the driving purpose of equipping our community with crucial information and the latest revelations about an unexpected tragedy.
