Three of Indian family killed in Philadelphia plane crash

Two Indian-origin physicians and their daughter were killed when their small plane crashed into the backyard of suburban Philadelphia residence area on Thursday, August 8.

The victims, identified as Jasvir Khurana (60), his wife Divya Khurana (54) and their daughter Kiran (19), all from Lower Merion Township, died after their plane went down around Willow Grove area, which is about 50 kilometres north of Philadelphia, reported Associated Press.

Upper Moreland Police Chief Michael Murphy said the small plane hit several trees before it stopped and the debris was spread across four backyards.

The plane that was reported to be en route to Ohio didn't hit any homes. Only the roof of a resident's shed was damaged but no injuries were reported. 

Residents of the locality said that the "deafening sound" alerted them on Thursday morning.

"It sounded like the plane was coming right for my house," resident John Quatrini told Philadelphia Inquirer. "I thought, 'This is it, I'm done,'" he added.

No distressed calls were made by the pilot and the plane was in the air only for about three minutes before it crashed, said Air traffic investigator Adam Gerhardt.

The National Transportation Safety Board arrived at the scene in the afternoon and an investigation is underway

Jasvir Khurana was a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Temple University's Lewis Katz School of Medicine where he studied bone disease. His wife Divya was also a professor and taught at Drexel University College of Medicine and studied cellular structures. She was also a pediatric neurologist at St. Christopher's Hospital.

The couple was trained at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and had shifted to the US decades ago.

Their daughter Kiran was a national-level squash player and had graduated from Bryn Mawr's Harriton High School last year.