Friday nights in Northeast Philadelphia are usually loud for different reasons. Maybe it’s the traffic on Roosevelt Boulevard or the sound of someone heading to the Roosevelt Mall for a late-night run. But on January 31, 2025, the sound changed. It became a roar that didn’t make sense until the sky literally fell.
At roughly 6:07 p.m., a Learjet 55 medical transport plane, operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, slammed into the intersection of Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard. It wasn't just a "hard landing." It was a high-velocity impact that turned a neighborhood into a disaster zone in seconds. Honestly, the footage captured by local doorbell cameras is something out of a movie—a white streak of light plunging at a steep angle, followed by an explosion so massive it looked like a gas main had blown.
The Human Cost of Med Jets Flight 056
It’s easy to get lost in the "why" and "how," but the "who" is what actually breaks your heart. This wasn't some corporate joyride. It was a medevac flight. On board was an 11-year-old girl named Valentina Guzmán Murillo. She had just finished treatment at Shriners Children's Philadelphia for a life-threatening condition. She was going home to Mexico.
Her mother, Lizeth Murillo Ozuna, was right there with her. Along with the four crew members—all Mexican nationals—they never made it past the two-minute mark of their flight.
But the tragedy didn't stay in the air.
The plane hit a busy area. Steven Dreuitt, a 37-year-old Philadelphian, was just sitting in his car. He was killed instantly when the debris and fireball engulfed his vehicle. Then, months later, the death toll rose again. A woman who had been severely burned on the ground passed away in April, bringing the total number of lives lost to eight.
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What the NTSB Investigation Actually Found
When a plane goes down that fast, investigators look for the "black box" immediately. For Med Jets Flight 056, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) was found buried eight feet underground. You’d think that would hold all the answers.
It didn't.
In a move that’s kinda terrifying for anyone who flies, the NTSB preliminary report revealed that the CVR hadn’t been working for years. It was just sitting there, silent. There was no audio from the cockpit during the final 40 seconds of the flight.
Key Data Points from the Preliminary Report:
- Takeoff Time: 6:06 p.m. from Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE).
- Altitude Reached: The jet climbed to 1,650 feet before things went south.
- Rate of Descent: The plane dropped at a staggering 11,000 feet per minute.
- Impact Angle: 22 degrees nose-down.
- Flight Duration: Total time in the air was roughly 60 seconds.
Basically, the pilots never sent a distress call. One minute they were climbing into the misty, light rain, and the next, they were in a terminal dive.
Why This Specific Crash in Philadelphia Still Matters
People keep talking about this because of where it happened. Northeast Philly is dense. It’s full of row homes, diners, and shops. The fact that only two people on the ground died is, quite frankly, a miracle. Debris flew through windows, hitting people while they were eating dinner. Over 20 people were injured.
There's also the historical context. Philadelphia doesn't have a lot of these. You might remember the 1991 mid-air collision that killed Senator John Heinz over a school in Lower Merion, or the 1972 United Flight 553 crash (though that was Chicago-bound, it’s often cited in safety discussions). But a jet falling onto Roosevelt Boulevard? That’s different.
The investigation is leaning toward a few possibilities, though nothing is set in stone. You’ve got marginal weather—mist and light rain—which can mess with visibility or icing, though it wasn't freezing. Then there's the mechanical side. With a CVR that was broken for years, people are asking tough questions about the maintenance culture at Jet Rescue.
Navigating the Aftermath
If you live in the Rhawnhurst or Castor Gardens area, the physical scars are mostly gone, but the legal and emotional ones aren't.
Steps for those still affected:
- Property Claims: If your home or business was within the 17-structure damage radius, ensure your claims are cross-referenced with the final NTSB factual report expected in late 2026.
- Debris Safety: The city still occasionally warns about finding small aircraft parts. Don't touch them. Call 911 so the NTSB can log the location.
- Aviation Safety Advocacy: Many locals are now pushing for stricter oversight of small "Part 135" operators (charter/medical flights) which don't always face the same rigorous CVR checks as big airlines like American or United.
We're still waiting for the "Probable Cause" report. Until then, we just have the haunting image of a medevac flight that was supposed to be a journey toward healing, but ended up being anything but.