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UPDATE: New Details Emerge of Crashed Plane That Sparked Fighter Jet Response

New details continue emerging about the chaotic, confusing situation Sunday in the Washington DC area.

Reports first broke around 3 pm ET about an ‘explosion‘ that rocked DC and the surrounding vicinity.

BREAKING: Huge “Explosion” Rocks D.C.

There was much confusion about what caused the loud bang that reportedly shook houses in the DC area.

Reports later surfaced that scrambled F-16 jets caused the noise because they received ‘supersonic’ clearance and created a ‘sonic boom.’

The FAA confirmed that a Cessna plane crashed in Virginia around the same time as the ‘sonic boom.’

FOX 5 DC obtained this statement from the FAA:

“A Cessna Citation crashed into mountainous terrain in a sparsely populated area of southwest Virginia around 3 p.m. local time on June 4. The aircraft took off from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, Tenn., and was bound for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York. The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and provide all further updates.”

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The Cessna plane flew through a no-fly zone and near the White House and Capitol, prompting fighter jets to be scrambled.

“F-16 fighter jet from DC National Guard was ‘cleared supersonic to respond’ to unknown Cessna ignoring radio queries flying on ‘strange flight path’ outside nation’s capital, officials say. FAA says Cessna crashed near Staunton, Virginia,” Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson wrote.

“The loud boom that was heard across the DMV area was caused by an authorized DOD flight. This flight caused a sonic boom. That is all the information available at this time,” the City of Annapolis Office of Emergency Management wrote.

Daily Mail reported that fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the small plane after it violated DC airspace.

A small plane that flew over a restricted area of Washington DC likely prompted the Pentagon to scramble an interceptor fighter jet Sunday afternoon.

The private Cessna jet from Elizabethton, Tennessee appeared unresponsive as it came close to both the US Capitol building and the White House at around 3.30pm, Federal Aviation Administration officials say.

The aircraft was on its way to Long Island, New York, but once it reached its destination, it turned around and headed back to Washington DC, flight paths show.

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US military officials then scrambled fighter jets to pursue the Cessna Citation, which can only carry about 12 passengers.

Soon, authorities confirmed that an F-16 fighter plane broke the sound barrier over Chesapeake Bay, which caused a loud ‘explosion’ sound that shook houses and created widespread panic.

The aircraft eventually crashed in the mountainous regions of Virginia, though military officials deny that the pursuit caused the crash.

NORAD released a statement on the Cessna plane.

The pilot was “unresponsive,” per the statement.

“In coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, NORAD F-16 fighter aircraft responded to an unresponsive Cessna 560 Citation V aircraft over Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia on June 4, 2023.

The NORAD aircraft were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region.

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During this event, the NORAD aircraft also used flares – which may have been visible to the public – in an attempt to draw attention from the pilot. Flares are employed with highest regard for safety of the intercepted aircraft and people on the ground.

Flares burn out quickly and completely and there is no danger to the people on the ground when dispensed. The civilian aircraft was intercepted at approximately 3:20 p.m. Eastern Time.

The pilot was unresponsive and the Cessna subsequently crashed near the George Washington National Forest, Virginia. NORAD attempted to establish contact with the pilot until the aircraft crashed.”

F-16 pilots reportedly said the Cessna pilot was “passed out” before it crashed in Virginia.

ABC News reports:

Air National Guard F-16s were scrambled on Sunday from Maryland — causing a sonic boom heard throughout large portions of Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area — to investigate an aircraft that had entered a restricted area, a U.S. official told ABC News.

Authorities were concerned about the plane, which was unresponsive and flying a strange flight path over the D.C. area, a second U.S. official said.

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.

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.

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According to reports, the Cessna plane was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, Florida.

The agent name for Encore Motors is Barbara Rumpel, per opencorporates.

Four individuals, including the pilot, were reportedly aboard the aircraft.

The Mirror reported:

The private jet was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc. John Rumpel, who runs the company, told the New York Times that his daughter, two-year-old granddaughter, her nanny and the pilot were aboard the plane.

They were returning to their home in East Hampton, on Long Island, after visiting his house in North Carolina, he said.

cont.

A woman who identified herself as Barbara Rumpel, who is listed as the president of the company in Melbourne, Florida, said she had no comment on Sunday.

A woman by the same name is also on the NRA board of directors for 2023 and served on Donald Trump’s 2nd Amendment Coalition – but it has not been confirmed they are the same person.

WLTReport cannot confirm they are the same person.

Rumors circulated on the internet that Barbara Rumpel was a passenger on the plane, but those rumors are false.

Daily Mail reported:

A woman who identified herself as Barbara Rumpel, who is listed as the president of the company in Melbourne, Florida, said she had no comment Sunday when reached by a reporter for The Associated Press.

John Rumpel, the owner of Encore Motors – claimed that his ‘entire family’ was on the plane, including his daughter, grandchild and the kid’s nanny.

‘We know nothing about the crash,’ he told the Washington Post. ‘We are talking to the FAA now. I’ve got to keep the line clear.’

It has since been confirmed that four people were on the flight at the time, CNN said.

US military officials scrambled fighter jets from Andrews Air Force Base, where President Joe Biden was playing golf at the time, to pursue the Cessna Citation, which can only carry about 12 passengers.

Flight tracking sites showed the jet suffered a rapid spiraling descent, dropping at one point at a rate of more than 30,000 feet per minute before crashing in the St. Mary´s Wilderness.


 

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