Jet fighters chase small plane in Washington area before it crashes in Virginia

[BumRushDaShow]

Last edited Sun Jun 4, 2023, 08:25 PM - Edit history (2)

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) - The United States scrambled F-16 fighter jets in a supersonic chase of a light aircraft with an unresponsive pilot that violated airspace in the Washington D.C. area and later crashed into the mountains of Virginia, officials said. The jet fighters prompted a sonic boom over the U.S. capital in an attempt to pursue with the errant Cessna Citation, officials said, causing consternation among people in the Washington area.

Four people were on board the Cessna, a source familiar with the matter said. A Cessna Citation can carry seven to 12 passengers. 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 U.S. 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 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 U.S. 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 (80 km) east of Manhattan, the FAA said in a statement, adding that it and the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/loud-boom-shakes-washington-dc-fire-department-reports-no-incidents-2023-06-04/

---

Article updated.

Previous article -

WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) - U.S. officials scrambled jet fighters in a supersonic chase of a light aircraft that violated airspace in the Washington D.C. area and later crashed into mountainous terrain in southwest Virginia, officials said. The jet fighters prompted a sonic boom over the U.S. capital, causing consternation among people in Washington area, in an attempt to catch up with the errant Cessna Citation, officials said.

A Cessna aircraft crashed into mountainous terrain in southwest Virginia around the time the sonic boom was heard in the capital, the Federal Aviation Administration said. A Cessna Citation can carry seven to 12 passengers. A U.S. official said the jet fighters did not cause the crash. A separate source familiar with the matter said the Cessna was believed to be on autopilot and did not respond to authorities.

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 (80 km) east of Manhattan, the FAA said in a statement, adding that it and the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate. The crash occurred around 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT), the FAA said.

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

Original article/headline -

Light plane crashes after chase by jet fighters in Washington area

WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities scrambled jet fighters to pursue a light aircraft that violated airspace in the Washington D.C. area and later crashed into mountainous terrain in southwest Virginia, U.S. officials said.

The jet fighters caused a sonic boom over the U.S. capital as they raced to catch up with the Cessna Citation, which can carry between seven to 12 passengers, officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said a Cessna aircraft crashed into mountainous terrain in southwest Virginia around the time the sonic boom was heard in the capital. A U.S. official said the jet fighters did not cause the crash.

A source familiar with the matter said the Cessna was believed to be on autopilot and did not respond to authorities efforts to make contact with it.

[brush]

1. That sounds serious...not responding to contact attempts them crashing...

into mountainous terrain. Hope we get more info on whether there are survivors.

[getagrip_already]

2. Ahh, unresponsive pilot.. not a drone

When they said it was on autopilot, the first thing I thought of was there was no pilot.

May have passed out.

[hlthe2b]

3. I recall the Pro-golfer who died this way... everyone on board incapacitated over SD

Payne Stewart:

In October 1999, a Lear jet carrying 42-year-old professional golfer Payne Stewart and five other people crashed near Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the accident was likely caused by the sudden loss of cabin pressure in the aircraft. That may have left everyone inside the plane incapacitated or dead.

The plane left Orlando, Florida, and was heading to Texas, where Stewart was scheduled to play in a tournament. The plane flew off course for about 1,500 miles, apparently on autopilot, until it crashed.

Stewart won 11 PGA Tour events, including three majors – the 1989 PGA Open and the US Open in 1991 and 1999. He represented the United States on five Ryder Cup teams and three World Cup teams.

[Lasher]

9. It's starting to look like a similar case.

The jets, which were deployed from Joint Base Andrews, saw that the pilot of the aircraft had passed out, this official said. The plane subsequently crashed.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/sonic-boom-heard-dc-16s-investigate-plane-restricted/story?id=99828148

[William Seger]

4. The Cessna crashed almost 350 miles from D.C.

... at "about the same time" as sonic booms were heard in D.C. But that's about 45 minutes at the Cessna's cruising speed. Was there a delay in responding, or is the story misleading? Then, the Air Force planes launched from Andrews, which is just outside D.C., but they're said by the FAA to have broken the sound barrier over the Chesapeake Bay, which is about 100 miles east of D.C. Why did they go that direction?

Strange story.

[Mr.Bill]

7. I would just say breaking news

and the details will be more clear in the coming hours.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. The article was updated by Reuters

and apparently the jet scramble to "catch up" (and I guess follow the plane) caused the boom.

The plane was originally en route from TN to NY and then abruptly turned and went back due SW, eventually crashing in VA.

A local Fox affiliate in D.C. had a snapshot of the FlightAware route -

[SouthernIrish]

20. Very strange indeed

I live about 45 minutes from Elizabethton. Elizabethton is about 10 minutes from Virginia and 20 minutes from North Carolina. The time lapse between the sonic boom and the crash don't coincide to me. The distance is to great between DC and sw Va.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

50. This was a last minute scramble

In those circumstances, you don't always get to take off in the direction that makes sense, but that allows you to do so safely--as in not crashing into other planes. DC is a major international hub, and not all of the planes headed there are as nimble as an F-16 is, once it's in the air. Jumbo jets full of passengers, for instance.

If enough large planes were in close proximity to DC from the south/southwest, the F-16s probably got clearance to leave north, to get in the air more quickly. Once they're in the air, doubling back to their target destination is no big deal for them.

[montanacowboy]

5. Not a thing on the news

I checked all the channels

[BumRushDaShow]

8. ABC and CNN have it now on their sites

F-16s investigate unresponsive plane in restricted airspace over DC: Officials

US fighter jets scrambled to respond to aircraft that ultimately crashed in Virginia, US official says

[Rebl2]

27. Saw it on

NBC nightly

[Historic NY]

6. A Cessna Citation is a 12 passenger business jet

[Cheezoholic]

11. I was gonna say

a Citation isn't a "light" aircraft. Cessna makes a lot more than little 150's.

Edit: Its also one of the very few business jets that can be manned by a single pilot

[AZ8theist]

10. A "supersonic chase" ???? After a Cessna??

[Historic NY]

13. Its a jet with a top cruising speed of 411 mph

[AZ8theist]

14. Not even close to supersonic.

If they were referring to the scrambled F16's catching up, ok. But there certainly wasn't a "supersonic chase" of the Cessna.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. To catch up, they had to fly faster than Cessna. Thus they went supersonic. They were in a hurry. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

24. The ones chasing went supersonic; hence "supersonic chase". The Cessna was not chasing. . . . nt

[AZ8theist]

26. OBVIOUSLY the Cessna wasn't chasing anybody.

My objection is to the phrasing in the article. Click bait.

"Supersonic chase"

"OMG!!! Fighter jets were in a chase over Washington DC!!! TERRORISM!! CRISIS!! CHINESE BALLOONS!!!"

The ability of reporters to write coherent articles using facts has decayed substantially over the last few decades. I almost long for the Watergate days...

[XorXor]

43. They are likely wording it like that because the F16 going supersonic

Was news before the info of the cesna was known. It is rare to happen over populated areas, and it usually means something serious is happening

[FSogol]

46. It was common in the late 60s/ early 70s when I was a kid in Alexandria, VA

Military jets would cause sonic booms a few times a year. They rattled the old windows in my parent's house.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. The article was updated

and apparently the plane was headed for NYC from TN and got there but instead of landing, immediately turned around and almost retraced its route back south again.

The FAA supposedly requested the scramble I am guessing because the ATCs along the route were getting no response from the plane. So I expect the jets were trying to get to where the plane was (probably on its way back down again) to intercept and when they did, it was reported that they supposedly saw a pilot slumped over in the cockpit.

F-16s investigate unresponsive plane in restricted airspace over DC: Officials


By Luis Martinez
June 4, 2023, 5:55 PM

(snip)

Aircraft that are scrambled in this way are under the control of NORAD, and another U.S. official said that NORAD was operating in support of the Federal Aviation Administration.

A flight tracking website shows the craft had made it to its initial destination, Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York, but appears not to have landed -- instead heading back toward the D.C. area.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/sonic-boom-heard-dc-16s-investigate-plane-restricted/story?id=99828148

Unresponsive small plane over Washington causes military jet to scramble, later crashes in Virginia

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and ASHLEY THOMAS19 minutes ago


(snip)

The Federal Aviation Administration says the Cessna Citation took off from Elizabethtown, Tennessee, on Sunday and was headed for Long Island’s MacArthur Airport. Inexplicably, the plane turned around over New York’s Long Island and flew a straight path down over D.C. before it crashed over mountainous terrain near Montebello, Virginia, around 3:30 p.m.

It was not immediately clear why the plane was nonresponsive, why it crashed or how many people were on board.

A U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press that the military jet had scrambled to respond to the small plane, which later crashed. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the military operation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

https://apnews.com/article/washington-virginia-maryland-loud-boom-crash-military-jet-biden-joint-base-andrews-7116356c23f2ade0d6c842159e261f1b

[oldsoftie]

18. I imagine the jets went supersonic to catch up to the Cessna

[Rebl2]

28. It drifted into

air space it wasn’t supposed to be in is what I heard-near DC.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

15. Oh Jeez, anoter Payne Stewart incident?

I don't think this was a terrorist attack from the initial reports.

I truly hope those on board didn't even know what hit them.

RIP.

[groundloop]

17. Yeah, I was thinking the same.... but that was a Lear 35.

[oldsoftie]

19. Tucker will tell everyone Joe Biden had the plane shot down

especially if a republican was on board

[speak easy]

25. Tucker won't be saying anything.

He's being silenced by the NDA / Non Compete Agreements he signed with Fox.

[FailureToCommunicate]

34. Hmmm. I hadn't heard about that. Good riddance to him (for now) if that's true.

[speak easy]

45. Non-Compete-silent until Jan 2025,

almost like a Dem wrote the contracts.

[XorXor]

44. I saw those sorts of comments in the wild only minutes after it was reported

I'm afraid to look to see if they caught on with certain groups of people

[oldsoftie]

47. Jeeeze. I was joking. Guess I should know by now.

[mn9driver]

21. Modern autopilots normally drop into heading mode at the end of their programmed route.

That is pretty likely what happened here. The assumption is that all on board were unconscious or dead when the aircraft passed the last programmed fix and the aircraft simply continued on whatever heading it was on until it ran out of fuel.

Very sad, RIP

[honest.abe]

22. We heard the sonic boom here in College Park MD.

[IronLionZion]

29. I did not hear the sonic boom

I was outdoors in the great falls area and didn't hear anything

[Cheezoholic]

30. Suicide by lntentionally crashing an aircraft is way more common than people may think

Not saying thats what happened but evidence is growing that many "accidents" in the past were actually intentional to take ones own life and the NTSB is slowly looking into that possibility in crash investigations more and more. Sadly the GA community has been aware of this for sometime, the Feds are playing catch up.

[cstanleytech]

31. Fumes from a fuel leak got into the cabin and knocked everyone out?

[honest.abe]

33. Sounds like it might have been hypoxia.

Hypoxia—a state of oxygen deficiency sufficient to impair functions of the brain and other organs—can affect pilots flying above 12,000 feet msl in unpressurized aircraft without supplemental oxygen. Hypoxia causes lapses in judgment, memory, and coordination, signs that are often masked by a euphoric sense of well being. These effects alone are a serious threat to safe piloting. Combine them with inexperience and poor preflight planning, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/air-safety-institute/accident-analysis/featured-accidents/hypoxia-poor-planning-a-deadly-combination

[twodogsbarking]

32. It was not shot down.

If it had been we would never be allowed to know.

[msfiddlestix]

35. Did I miss mentions of injuries or deaths as a result of the crash?

The region in Virginia in the Southwest is significant . Lots of people LIVE in that region. May not seem like driving by.

But I don't see any mention of the specific area in the region. How far from closest communities, towns etc.

[BumRushDaShow]

36. I saw one article yesterday

that mentioned that it crashed in a remote area of a national park there.

An update here - https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/05/us/virginia-plane-crash-fighter-jets-investigation-monday/index.html

[msfiddlestix]

40. Thank you! Good report, details I was asking for.

[BumRushDaShow]

41. Most welcome!

[tonekat]

37. Looks like it crashed near the intersection of

Beech Grove Rd and the Blue Ridge Parkway, 300 ft. below the peak of a mountain. That's from "The Drive".

The Daily Beast had some information on the owners of the plane who were not on board. They sound like lovely people:

"Both Barbara and her husband, prominent business people in Florida, have donated to a medley of Republican candidates for federal office over the past few years, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to former President Donald Trump and his political organization, according to Federal Election Commission records viewed by The Daily Beast.

The couple donated a combined $250,000 to the Trump Victory PAC in 2020 alone. Then, just two years later, Barbara made a number of donations to controversial candidates, including $2,900 to Georgia Senate hopeful Herschel Walker and $500 to Florida congressional candidate Laura Loomer, a far-right influencer known for making anti-Muslim statements.

Barbara also has direct ties to the Trump Administration. She was listed as a co-chair for a firearm-rights campaign organization supporting the former president’s 2016 run, called the “Second Amendment Coalition for Trump-Pence.”

A longtime National Rifle Committee member, Barbara has been on the NRA’s Women’s Leadership Council since 2002 and spent more than six years as an executive committee member, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The couple committed their commercial real estate portfolio to a trust benefitting the organization, according to a statement they published on the NRA website.

“We want to leave a legacy that will help preserve this country as we know it and as it is meant to be,” Barbara wrote at the time."

[honest.abe]

38. That's very close to Wintergreen resort.

We were there last weekend hiking and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

[xabriel]

39. very sad

Sympathies to the family.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

42. NTSB begins crash investigation after sonic boom heard across D.C.

This is not LBN in and of itself, because it's what the NTSB always does.

TRANSPORTATION

NTSB begins crash investigation after sonic boom heard across D.C.

A Cessna jet crashed in west-central Virginia after military F-16s were scrambled at supersonic speeds to intercept it

By Ian Duncan and Dan Lamothe
Updated June 5, 2023 at 11:36 a.m. EDT|Published June 5, 2023 at 9:35 a.m. EDT

{snip}

By Ian Duncan
Ian Duncan is a reporter covering federal transportation agencies and the politics of transportation. He previously worked at the Baltimore Sun for seven years, covering city hall, the military and criminal justice. He was part of the Sun's team covering Freddie Gray's death in 2015 and then-Mayor Catherine Pugh's Healthy Holly books scandal. Twitter https://twitter.com/iduncan

By Dan Lamothe
Dan Lamothe joined The Washington Post in 2014 to cover the U.S. military. He has written about the Armed Forces for 15 years, traveling extensively, embedding with each service and covering combat in Afghanistan. His reporting about the 2021 attack on the Capitol was part of a project that earned the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Twitter https://twitter.com/danlamothe

[James48]

48. Update- crash of N611VG

Looks like whatever happened took place before the plane reached New York. It flew as of on autopilot to the destination, and then continued on without descending.

The owner of the aircraft is a MEGA MAGA donor. Rumple is his name- and he’s given $250,000 to Trump Victory Fund.

His daughter, grand daughter, the nanny, and the pilot were all killed.

The plane only recently got a new registration (April 28, 2023 ) and a new airworthiness certificate. (February 3, 2023). I don’t know if that just means it had an N number change or whether it had previously been out of service and brought back into service recently. The airplane was built in 1990, and it is unusual to see both a recent N number registration and airworthiness certificate. It is possible that this is only about a month since he bought the aircraft, (registration date of April) and may have been new to this family/owner.


I have no info yet about the pilot, either.

[pfitz59]

49. Very clearly hypoxia

Pilot failed to keep track of cabin altitude on ascent. Passed out. End of story.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

51. I just hope that everyone else on board was also passed out.