Venture Jets board member Matt White identified as pilot after plane crashes in Manheim Twp., Pa.


MANHEIM TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPVI) — New information has been released about the small plane that crashed into the parking lot of a retirement community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Five people were aboard the Beechcraft Bonanza when it went down around 3 p.m. on Sunday, not long after it took off.

According to authorities, all five passengers onboard were rushed to local hospitals. Luckily, no one on the ground was hurt.

The FAA is in the midst of the investigation into what caused the six-seater plane, which was en route to Springfield, Ohio, to crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is also monitoring the situation.

The plane was privately owned and was being used for personal family travel.

Venture Jets shared a statement on Monday, confirming that one of its board members was piloting the aircraft at the time of the incident.

The pilot has been identified as Matt White, an executive board member of Venture Jets.

Venture Jets shared a statement on Monday, confirming that one of its board members was piloting the aircraft at the time of the incident.

Venture Jets shared a statement on Monday, confirming that one of its board members was piloting the aircraft at the time of the incident.

“We can confirm that Sunday’s tragic aircraft mishap at Lancaster Airport involved one of our family – Matt White. Matt is a long-time aviation advocate and Private Pilot, as well as an Executive Board Member for our company,” the statement said, in part. “The flight in question was a personal flight, in a privately owned aircraft, for the purpose of personal family travel. The flight was not affiliated with, nor operated by our company, nor were any company employees involved.”

Action News has been told that just seconds into the flight, White alerted air traffic control that a plane door was open. ATC then cleared the plane to return, but a few seconds later the controller told the plane to “pull up,” the audio revealed.

However, moments later, it crashed.

Officials said the plane skidded roughly 100 feet after making impact with the ground.

All five passengers were transported to Lancaster General Hospital, where trauma and emergency teams were at the ready to provide care, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Two are still hospitalized and are being treated for burns.

It was not immediately clear if White was one of the three patients still being treated at the burn center on Monday.

“I don’t know if I consider it a miracle, but the fact we have a plane crash where everybody survives and nobody on the ground is hurt is a wonderful thing,” said Duane Fisher, the Chief of Police for Manheim Township.

Twelve cars were damaged due to the crash.

Images taken by witnesses and shared with ABC News showed flames and smoke billowing from the crash site in Lititz, Manheim Township.

Officials are investigating after a small plane went down near a retirement village in Lancaster County.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro posted a statement on X saying, “Our team at @PAStatePolice is on the ground assisting local first responders following the small private plane crash near Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township. All Commonwealth resources are available as the response continues, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.”

A preliminary report is expected within 30 days.

The crash comes about a month after seven people were killed when an air ambulance burst into flames after crashing onto a busy Philadelphia street.

Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.



Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Please reload

Please Wait