CNN
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A small plane crashed into the parking lot at a retirement community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Sunday afternoon, injuring the five people aboard and damaging around a dozen vehicles, according to local authorities.
The plane, a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza, crashed around 3:18 p.m. ET on the property of Brethren Village retirement community in Manheim Township, Scott Little, the chief of Manheim Township Fire, said at a Sunday evening news conference. Five people were on board and were transported to local hospitals, according to Little.
About a dozen cars were damaged, five “severely,” officials said. There was no structural damage to the retirement community building and no one on the ground was injured, Little said.
Video of the scene shows the wreckage of the plane engulfed in flames and dark smoke. The fire has since been put out using “copious amounts of water,” according to Little.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate the crash, which comes after a devastating midair collision in January and a string of plane crashes across the country. In Philadelphia, all six passengers and one person on the ground were killed when a medical evacuation jet crashed on January 31.
The National Transportation Safety Board told CNN it is also opening an investigation and will evaluate the documentation and initial examination gathered by FAA investigators at the crash site.
The pilot reported the plane had an open door, in a radio conversation with an air traffic controller. The controller instructed the pilot to “pull up” moments before the crash.
The plane was scheduled to depart from Lancaster Airport, just north of the crash site and was headed toward Springfield, Ohio, according to FlightAware.
Pennsylvania State Police are “on the ground assisting local first responders,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a post on X. The governor added that, “All Commonwealth resources are available as the response continues.”
One witness said the plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
“It was pretty high, but then it started veering left, and suddenly it nose-dived sideways while continuing to turn left,” Brian Pipkin told CNN.
Pipkin said he rushed to the parking lot of the retirement center, where he saw the cockpit of the plane engulfed in flames.
He described the intense heat as “feeling like opening an oven set to 500 degrees when you open the door and it hits your face.”
“It was so hot,” he said. “I was getting closer, praying to God that nothing would blow up.”
CNN has reached out to Pennsylvania State Police and Manheim Township Fire and Rescue for more information.
This story has been updated with additional information.
