CNN
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No survivors were found at the crash site of a plane whose pilot became unresponsive while flying near the Washington, DC area on Sunday, prompting military fighter jets to try to intercept the plane earlier which eventually crashed, according to the authorities.
First responders arrived at the scene Sunday evening, about four hours after state and local authorities began a ground and air search for the crashed plane, Virginia State Police said.
State police said they have suspended their search and will identify the plane’s passengers when information becomes available.
US F-16 fighter jets caused a sonic boom in the Washington, DC region on Sunday as they scrambled to reach the unresponsive plane, officials said.
A US official said the F-16s did not shoot down the plane and that it is typical for the Federal Aviation Administration to call in planes if someone is flying unsafely.
The pilot of the civilian plane did not respond when F-16 fighter jets attempted to make contact, according to a press release from the US Aerospace Defense Command region.
The F-16 jets were “authorized to travel at supersonic speeds,” which led to the sonic boom heard in the Washington, DC area.
The F-16s used flares “in an attempt to attract the pilot’s attention,” the statement added.
The civilian plane, a Cessna 560 Citation V, was intercepted by NORAD aircraft around 3:20 p.m. and eventually crashed near the George Washington National Forest in Virginia.
“The pilot became unresponsive and the Cessna crashed near the George Washington National Forest, Virginia,” the statement said. “NORAD attempted to make contact with the pilot until the plane crashed.”
Four people were aboard the plane, which overshot its intended destination by 315 miles before crashing, sources familiar with the investigation said.
State and local authorities were still conducting search efforts Sunday evening, Virginia State Police told CNN.
State police were notified about 3:50 p.m. of a possible plane crash in the Staunton/Blue Ridge Parkway region, the agency said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said on Twitter was investigating the accident. The agency said it will arrive at the scene on Monday and begin “the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft.”
The private jet that crashed was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, Inc., outside of Florida, according to reports FAA records.
Barbara Rumpel is the president of the company. When reached by phone Sunday, her husband, John Rumpel, told CNN that Barbara was safe and that they own Encore. They declined to comment further to CNN.
On her Facebook profile, Barbara commented on an unrelated post from other people asking if she was on the plane and sending prayers, writing: “My family is gone, my daughter and my granddaughter.”
John Rumpel told him Washington Post members of his family, including his daughter, a grandson and his nanny, were on board. he said The New York Times the family was returning home to East Hampton, New York, after a four-day trip to their home in North Carolina, adding that their granddaughter is 2 years old.
Neither the plane nor those on board have been found.
The military aircraft caused a sonic boom heard in the Washington, DC metropolitan region.
“We are aware of reports from communities throughout the National Capital Region of a strong ‘surge’ this afternoon,” DC Homeland Security & Emergency Management said on Twitter.
There is no threat at this time, the agency added.
Earlier, the FAA said in a statement that a Cessna Citation crashed Sunday in southwest Virginia.
The plane took off from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, Tenn., and was bound for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York.
The plane crashed into mountainous terrain in a “sparsely populated area,” according to the FAA.
The U.S. Capitol complex was put on “high alert” when the small plane flew near the area Sunday afternoon, according to a statement from the U.S. Capitol Police.
“This afternoon, our officials were working closely with our federal partners to control an unresponsive pilot flying an aircraft near the National Capital Region. The U.S. Capitol complex was briefly placed under high alert until the aircraft left the area,” the statement said.
The US Secret Service said they did not change their stance on keeping President Joe Biden safe after the incident. Biden was playing golf at Andrews Air Force Base Golf Course near Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
The incident “had no impact on the Secret Service,” spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement Sunday.
The president has been briefed on the incident, according to a White House official.
