Fighters Jets Chase Small Plane in Washington DC Before It Crashes

By Staff, Agencies

The United States scrambled F-16 fighter jets in a supersonic chase of a light aircraft with an unresponsive pilot that breached airspace in the Washington DC area and later crashed into the mountains of Virginia, officials said.

The jet fighters prompted a sonic boom over the US capital on Sunday in an attempt to pursue the errant Cessna Citation, officials said, causing panic among people in the Washington area.

Four people were on board the Cessna, which can carry seven to 12 passengers, a source familiar with the matter said.

The Cessna was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, Florida, according to the flight-tracking website, Flight Aware.

Encore owner, John Rumpel, told the Washington Post his daughter, a grandchild and her nanny were on board.

"We know nothing about the crash," the Post quoted Rumpel as saying. "We are talking to the FAA now," he added before ending the call.

The US military attempted to establish contact with the pilot, who was unresponsive, until the Cessna subsequently crashed near the George Washington National Forest in Virginia, the North American Aerospace ‘Defense’ Command [NORAD] said in a statement.

The Cessna appeared to be flying on autopilot, another source familiar with the matter said.

"The NORAD aircraft were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region," the statement said, adding that NORAD aircraft also used flares in an attempt to draw attention from the pilot.

A US official said the jet fighters did not cause the crash.

The Cessna took off from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and was bound for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York, about 50 miles east of Manhattan, the FAA said in a statement, adding that it and the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate the issue.

According to Flight Aware, the plane appeared to reach the New York area and made nearly a 180-degree turn, with the flight ending in Virginia.

Virginia state police said they were searching for the wreckage, but had yet to find it.

While rare, incidents involving unresponsive pilots are not unprecedented.