(CNN) — 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 Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate the crash, which comes after in January and across the country.
The plane was scheduled to depart from Lancaster Airport, just north of the crash site and was headed toward Springfield, Ohio, .
Pennsylvania State Police are “on the ground assisting local first responders,†Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said . The governor added that, “All Commonwealth resources are available as the response continues.â€
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.â€
“It was so hot,†he said. “I was getting closer, praying to God that nothing would blow up.â€
CNN has reached out to Pennsylvania State Police and Manheim Township Fire and Rescue for more information.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
