Plane destroyed after flying over DC, crashing in rural Virginia, leaving 4 dead

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Federal authorities initiated an intensive search on Monday, scouring the rugged landscape for remnants of a business jet to determine the causes leading up to its deviant trajectory and eventual collision with a mountain that resulted in the death of four individuals.

The jet had passed over Washington D.C. just a day earlier, leading to the activation of military fighter jets. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a brief statement confirming the death of the pilot and three passengers, and declared the jet to be “demolished” following the accident. The names of the deceased weren’t immediately disclosed.

NTSB investigator, Adam Gerhardt, informed reporters about the time-consuming process of reaching the isolated crash site, situated about two to three miles north of Montebello. The investigative team expects to be on-site for a minimum of three to four days. The rugged, mountainous terrain necessitated the investigators’ approach to the site on foot, as clarified by NTSB spokesperson Jennifer Gabris.

The atypical flight path over Washington D.C., accompanied by a sonic boom from the military aircraft audible across the capital and parts of Maryland and Virginia, have intensified the focus on the accident and its possible causes. The North American Aerospace Defense Command confirmed that the military aircraft had been granted permission to exceed sonic speeds, causing the sonic boom. The aircraft also deployed flares in an attempt to alert the pilot.

During a briefing on Monday morning, Gerhardt revealed that the crash resulted in a highly fragmented wreckage. After conducting an on-site examination of critical evidence, the debris will be relocated, likely by helicopter, to Delaware for further inspection. Gerhardt mentioned that while the plane was not obligated to have a flight recorder, other avionics equipment that could hold valuable data might be available for scrutiny.

The investigators intend to study the circumstances under which the pilot became non-responsive and why the plane chose the flight path it did. Routine factors such as the aircraft itself, engine performance, weather conditions, pilot qualifications, and maintenance records will also be considered.

“We’ll examine everything, progressively eliminating irrelevant components and elements during this safety investigation,” stated Gerhardt.

A preliminary report is expected to be issued in 10 days, with a final report to follow in one to two years.

On Sunday evening, police reported that emergency services had reached the crash location in a remote part of the Shenandoah Valley, with no survivors found. The Virginia State Police received notification about the probable crash just before 4 p.m., and responders reached the site approximately four hours later.

According to the FAA, the Cessna Citation departed from Elizabethton, Tennessee on Sunday, heading for MacArthur Airport on Long Island. Mysteriously, the plane made a U-turn over Long Island, New York, flying directly over D.C., before its fatal crash around 3:30 p.m.

Despite flying straight over the national capital, the plane was technically traversing one of the most stringent airspaces in the country.

In response to the deviant plane, the Pentagon deployed six F-16 fighter jets to intercept it. The first two aircraft to reach the Cessna came from the 113th Fighter Wing at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, initiating attempts to contact the pilot. Two additional F-16 aircraft from New Jersey and two from South Carolina also responded.

Flight tracking websites show that the plane underwent a rapid, spiraling descent, plummeting over 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) per minute at one point before its crash in St. Mary’s Wilderness.

In Fairfax, Virginia, Travis Thornton and his wife, Hannah, were interrupted by a thunderous rumble and shaking. The event was caught on a video Thornton was filming while playing the guitar and harmonica. Thornton then checked on his children upstairs and examined the house exterior, speaking with neighbors about the incident.

The crashed plane was registered to Florida-based Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc. The company’s owner, pilot John Rumpel, informed The New York Times that the victims included his daughter, her two-year-old daughter, their nanny, and the pilot. They were flying back to their home in East Hampton, Long Island, after a visit to his house in North Carolina.

Rumpel didn’t receive much information from the authorities but speculated that the plane might have lost pressurization. “The plane descended at 20,000 feet per minute. A crash at that speed is unsurvivable,” Rumpel told the newspaper.

The incident eerily mirrors the 1999 Learjet crash which took the lives of professional golfer Payne Stewart and five others. The jet had also lost cabin pressure and crashed in a South Dakota pasture after flying aimlessly across the country.

Brumfield reported this story from Silver Spring, Maryland.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Virginia Plane Crash

Laura Simmons: I was in D.C when this happened. Heard the sonic boom, scared the heck outta me. RIP to those who lost their lives. 🙁