The cockpit voice recorder recovered from the deadly Northeast Philadelphia plane crash was not operational and “had likely not been recording audio for several years,” federal investigators said last week.
A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report published Thursday did not identify a potential cause for the crash. Such a determination is not expected until a final report is released, which typically comes 12 to 24 months after an incident, according to the agency’s website.
All six passengers aboard were killed, as was a driver on the ground, on the evening of Jan. 31 when a Learjet 55 slammed into the pavement along Cottman Avenue, near Roosevelt Mall. Two dozen people were injured, and 14 homes sustained serious damage.
The jet had just taken off at nearby Northeast Philadelphia Airport and was transporting an 11-year-old Mexican girl, Valentina Guzmán Murillo, who had been receiving medical treatment at Shriner’s Children’s Hospital.
NTSB officials said the voice recorder, also known as a “black box,” was buried in 8 feet of soil and debris at the crash site. The impact damaged the device, but it was able to be played after “extensive repair and cleaning,” the report stated.
However, the recorder did not capture the moments before the plane struck the ground, according to authorities.
An Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System computer, which may be able to provide information about the flight, was found and shipped to its manufacturer for evaluation, the report indicated. That analysis is ongoing, the NTSB said.
Investigators said the flight crew was in contact with air traffic controllers at Northeast Philadelphia Airport, who received no distress calls. The crash happened about one minute after takeoff, according to the report.
The findings “may impact those who experienced the plane crash first-hand, including our first responders, those in the community, and people who viewed video in the media and on social media,” Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration said in a statement.
Network of Neighbors is hosting a virtual mental wellness session for people impacted by the crash on Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact networkofneighbors@phila.gov or call 267-233-4837.
Resources are also available through a crash recovery hotline at 215-586-3400 or by visiting the Community Action Center, 7374 Edmund St., city officials said.
