Photos, footage show plane crash caused Philadelphia explosion | Fact check
The claim: Philadelphia explosion caused by missile, not plane crash
A Feb. 2 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) shows clips of an object crashing into the ground and exploding. A timestamp indicates the video was taken Jan. 31 in Philadelphia.
"Looks more like a missile hitting rather than a plane," reads the text at the bottom of the video. "Planes don't fall like that. Something certainly is not adding up."
The post accumulated more than 800 likes in two days. Other versions of the claim were shared on Instagram and X.
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Our rating: False
A plane crash caused the explosion, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Footage of the crash, along with investigators' discovery of the cockpit voice recorder, documentation of the plane's flight path and photos of the debris, corroborate it was a plane crash.
Evidence proves plane crashed in Philadelphia
A Medevac jet crashed into a Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood on Jan. 31, causing an explosion and killing all six passengers. Authorities confirmed the blast also killed one person sitting in their car and injured more than 20 others.
The post's claim that a missile caused the blast is false.The FAA described the incident as a plane crash in a Jan. 31 statement and said it was being investigated by the agency and the National Transportation Safety Board.
"A Learjet 55 crashed around 6:30 p.m. local time on Friday, Jan. 31, after departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport," part of the statement reads. "Six people were on board. The plane was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri."
Flight Radar 24, a global flight tracker, published a screenshot of the plane's flight path in a Jan. 31 X post. The company reported the plane had been in the air for less than a minute, reaching a maximum altitude of 1,650 ft, before crashing.
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Paste BN reported on Feb. 2 that investigators found the cockpit voice recorder, also known as the "black box," at the crash site. Photos published by Paste BN and Philadelphia outlet ABC6 News show the "black box" and other pieces of debris from the plane at the scene.
Dashcam and doorbell camera footage published by CNN shows the white outline and flashing lights of a plane crashing into the ground, not a missile. There are no credible news reports about the explosion being caused by a missile.
Paste BN reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Lead Stories also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
- Paste BN, Feb. 4, Photos of charred black box released after Philadelphia plane crash; probe continues
- Paste BN, Feb. 3, Black box recovered from fiery Philadelphia air ambulance crash; more victims identified
- FAA, accessed Jan. 4, FAA Statements on Aviation Accidents and Incidents
- Flight Radar 24, Jan. 31, X post
- CNN, Jan. 31, Philadelphia medevac jet crash captured by doorbell and dashboard cameras
- ABC6 News, Feb. 2, PHOTOS: Aftermath of the plane crash and explosion in Northeast Philadelphia
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