Supersonic F-16 over Washington DC, one plane violates airspace and crashes in Virginia
US authorities last night ordered F-16 fighter jets to conduct a supersonic pursuit of a small passenger jet after the pilot failed to respond to calls from the military and violated airspace over the Washington DC area.
According to US media reports, the plane carrying four people on board crashed after a chase in the mountains of southwest Virginia.
Police later announced that rescue teams found no survivors on board the Cessna Citation.
“The US military had attempted to make contact with the pilot, who was unresponsive, until the Cessna then crashed near the George Washington National Forest. Norad aircraft were ordered to travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region,” the North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement.
The plane that crashed was registered to a Florida-based company. John Rumpel, who runs the company, told the New York Times that his daughter, two-year-old granddaughter, her nanny and the pilot were on the plane.
According to him, they were returning to their home in East Hampton, Long Island, after visiting his home in North Carolina.
