Officials confirmed that the F-16 fighter jets were shot down by the US in a supersonic pursuit of a light aircraft with an unaccountable pilot. The small plane violated airspace in the Washington, DC area and eventually crashed into the mountains of Virginia. The chase caused a sonic boom in the US capital, scaring people nearby.
According to sources, four people were on board the errant plane named Cessna Citation. The plane, registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, Florida, is capable of carrying seven to twelve passengers, as reported by Flight Aware, a flight tracking website. John Rumpel, owner of Encore Motors, said his daughter, granddaughter and nanny were on board. However, he claimed to have no knowledge of the accident and said he was in touch with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said attempts were made to contact the unaccounted-for pilot, but were unsuccessful. The Cessna, apparently on autopilot, crashed near the George Washington National Forest in Virginia. In an effort to get the pilot’s attention, NORAD allowed supersonic speeds for their aircraft and used flares. However, a US official confirmed that the jet fighters did not cause the crash.
The Cessna initially departed from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee and was destined for New York’s Long Island MacArthur Airport. However, it made a nearly 180-degree turn, changed course and eventually crashed in Virginia. FAA and National Transportation Safety Board officials will investigate the incident.
Incidents of irresponsible pilots, while rare, have occurred in the past. In 1999, golfer Payne Stewart and four others lost their lives when their plane went down with passengers thousands of miles in the air. The plane eventually crashed in South Dakota. Similarly, in 2014, a small American private plane with an erratic pilot veered too far off course toward southwest Florida, prompting a security alert and a fighter jet before crashing on Jamaica’s east coast. A jet escort was signaled.
The sonic boom caused significant disturbance in the Washington area, with several residents reporting loud noises that shook the ground and walls. According to multiple witness accounts on Twitter, the boom was felt as far away as northern Virginia and Maryland.