Baby among four injured after medical helicopter crashes in front of Philadelphia church

A helicopter transporting an infant to a Philadelphia children’s hospital crashed outside a church Wednesday, injuring the baby and three others.

The chopper crashed into Drexel Hill United Methodist Church on Burmont Road, in Drexel Hill, t around 1pm Tuesday, following 911 reports of a helicopter in distress in the area. 

Incredibly, no one on the ground was injured by the helicopter. The passengers and the pilot all suffered non-life threatening injures.  

‘It’s an absolute miracle,’ Upper Derby police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt told reporters over the lack of casualties.  ‘It’s an absolute miracle on Burmont Road. That’s what it is.’ 

A helicopter transporting an infant to a Philadelphia children’s hospital crashed outside a church Wednesday, injuring the baby and three others

The chopper crashed into Drexel Hill United Methodist Church on Burmont Road, Philadelphia, at around 1pm Tuesday

The chopper crashed into Drexel Hill United Methodist Church on Burmont Road, Philadelphia, at around 1pm Tuesday 

Someone appears to be climbing out of the smoking wreckage after it went down on Tuesday afternoon

Someone appears to be climbing out of the smoking wreckage after it went down on Tuesday afternoon

The crash happened about 1 p.m., following 911 reports of a helicopter in distress in the area

The crash happened about 1 p.m., following 911 reports of a helicopter in distress in the area 

Incredibly, no one on the ground was injured by the helicopter. The passengers and the pilot all suffered non-life threatening injures

Incredibly, no one on the ground was injured by the helicopter. The passengers and the pilot all suffered non-life threatening injures

State Representative Mike Zabel echoed the sentiment, tweeted: ‘An absolute miracle in Drexel Hill today.’

Video footage from local news outlets shows smoke billowing from the vehicle as it lays in a residential neighborhood.  

Upper Darby Fire Chief Derrick Sawyer called it a ‘miraculous landing’ and said the community was ‘truly blessed’ by the outcome.

Police said the helicopter came from out-of-state, and that they were working to notify the families of those injured. 

Witnesses reported seeing the chopper hovering above the area for some time before it plummeted to the ground. 

Investigators are probing the cause of the crash as passengers are treated for undisclosed injuries.

The street was filled with emergency vehicles, including two fire trucks, after the chopper went down

The street was filled with emergency vehicles, including two fire trucks, after the chopper went down 

It's miraculous no one on the ground was hurt by the helicopter which landed in the bustling neighborhood of Drexel Hill

It’s miraculous no one on the ground was hurt by the helicopter which landed in the bustling neighborhood of Drexel Hill 

A medical helicopter went down right next to a Delaware County, Pennsylvania, church Tuesday afternoon.

A medical helicopter went down right next to a Delaware County, Pennsylvania, church Tuesday afternoon.

The crash occurred just three weeks after four people, including two nurses and were killed when a 10-seater private jet operated by a California company crashed near San Diego. 

The Learjet 35A, operated by Aeromedevac Air Ambulance, smashed into a power line before exploding on a street in El Cajon, leaving no survivors on the plane.

The Oceanside Firefighters Association named Tina Ward, the wife of a recently retired local fire chief, Joe Ward, as one of the victims. 

‘It is with heavy hearts that the Oceanside Fire Department and their fire family would like to extend our deepest condolences to our recently retired Chief Ward, his family, and all family and friends of the Aeromedevac flight crew N880Z,’ the post read. 

Meanwhile, the International Association of EMTs and Paramedics on Tuesday identified one of the other victims of the plane crash as Laurie Gentz, a nurse with more than 30 years of experience who also served as president of her local union. 

Firefighters work to put out flames on the ground after a small jet plane crashed in unincorporated area in a town about 17 miles east of San Diego

Firefighters work to put out flames on the ground after a small jet plane crashed in unincorporated area in a town about 17 miles east of San Diego

Flight nurses Tina Ward (foreground, circled) and Laurie Gentz (background, circled), have been identified as two of the four people who were killed when a medical plane crashed near San Diego on Monday

Flight nurses Tina Ward (foreground, circled) and Laurie Gentz (background, circled), have been identified as two of the four people who were killed when a medical plane crashed near San Diego on Monday 

The medevac plane transported a patient from Arizona to Orange County, California, Monday and was returning to Gillespie Field when it went down. 

The jet, flying out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County, struck power lines before crashing in the area of Pepper Drive and North 2nd Street.

National Weather Service data described sky conditions at Gillespie as ‘fog/mist’ at 6.55pm. 

Radio communications between the jet and the airfield recorded by LiveATC.net indicated that trouble happened suddenly.

The pilot canceled an instrument flight rules approach to Runway 27 and requested a switch to Runway 17 using visual flight rules.

After the switch was granted and new instructions were given, the pilot asked that the field lights be turned up and was told they were already at 100%. 

But in that moment something goes awry.

‘Oh, s***! Oh, s***! Oh, s***! No!’ the pilot is heard screaming, following by a loud noise and then silence.  

Footage showed the smoldering wreckage lying in the middle of a road, most of it destroyed, with parts of the jet, including the landing gear, strewn across the street. 

The crash also appeared to have caused a car to erupt in flames outside a house.

No fatalities or injuries were reported on the ground, however about 2,500 people were left without power by the fallen power line. 

‘There is very little left of the aircraft,’ Fire Chief Don Butz said. ‘We weren’t able to find any survivors.’ 

Joe and Tina Ward are pictured with their three daughter in this photo the mom posted on Facebook a day before her death

Joe and Tina Ward are pictured with their three daughter in this photo the mom posted on Facebook a day before her death 

Laurie Gentz was a transport nurse with more than 30 years of experience

She had only joined Aeromedevac Air Ambulance as a part-time employee in February

Laurie Gentz was a transport nurse with more than 30 years of experience. She had only joined Aeromedevac Air Ambulance as a part-time employee in February 

The Learjet 35A, similar to the one pictured above, was operated by Med Jet, an air ambulance company

The Learjet 35A, similar to the one pictured above, was operated by Med Jet, an air ambulance company 

Fire and smoke are seen rising above a neighborhood in El Cajon, California, on Monday night following the private plane crash

Scene of small plane crash in El Cajon

Fire and smoke are seen rising above a neighborhood in El Cajon, California, on Monday night following the private plane crash

The San Diego County Medical Examiner has yet to officially identify any of the victims pending notification of next of kin.  

According to her Facebook page, Tina Ward previously worked as an emergency room nurse at Palomar Pomerado Health. 

Laurie Gentz’s LinkedIn profile reveals that she only joined Aeromedevac Air Ambulance as a part-time flight nurse in February. 

She also worked as a critical care transport registered nurse at Rural Metro for nearly a decade. 

‘I have 30+ years of experience in the field of Nursing, and have spent over 2 and a half decades doing Critical Care Transport both on the ground and in the air,’ Gentz wrote in the description. 

Friends and co-workers of Ward and Gentz have been posting messages on Facebook expressing their grief. 

‘My heart is heavy tonight,’ wrote Ryan McBride. ‘I lost some amazing coworkers with such an amazing company to work for…. The nicest crew to fly with! It’s because of ALL of you I gained confidence and began to love flying while performing my job as a flight paramedic while assisting Tina, Laurie and all of the other amazing nurses we have with us! While feeling so safe in the air!’ 

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the crash. A final report, including the probable cause, will likely take 12 to 24 months, the board said.  

Doorbell camera footage shows the Learjet 35A hurtling towards the ground before a flash of light erupts across the clouded sky as it explodes in El Cajon, California.  

Footage from a doorbell camera shows the moment the plane hurtles towards the ground before a flash erupts across the clouded night sky in El Cajon, California

Footage from a doorbell camera shows the moment the plane hurtles towards the ground before a flash erupts across the clouded night sky in El Cajon, California

A blast lights up the night sky over El Cajon following the plane crash seen on a Nest camera

A blast lights up the night sky over El Cajon following the plane crash seen on a Nest camera 

A cloud of smoke rising from the scene of the crash that killed everyone on board the plane

A cloud of smoke rising from the scene of the crash that killed everyone on board the plane

Parts of the jet are seen strewn across the road after it exploded in the residential neighborhood last night

Parts of the jet are seen strewn across the road after it exploded in the residential neighborhood last night

Several fire and police units worked to get the blaze under control by about 9 p.m. local time in El Cajon, California

Several fire and police units worked to get the blaze under control by about 9 p.m. local time in El Cajon, California

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