According to reports, a Cessna plane crashed in Virginia around 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday afternoon.
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.”
CNN also reported the plane crash:
A small aircraft crashed in southwest Virginia Sunday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
The aircraft, a Cessna Citation, took off from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and was bound for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York.
Reports suggested the Cessna plane flew through a no-fly zone and near the White House and Capitol, prompting fighter jets to be scrambled.
BREAKING: The plane that crashed in Virginia was a Cessna Citation, flew through no-fly zone and close to the White House and the Capitol, prompting fighter jets to be scrambled.
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) June 4, 2023
“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.
UPDATE: 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.
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) June 4, 2023
Flight path 👇 pic.twitter.com/eXt4aMF1xQ
— Jon Nicosia (@NewsPolitics) June 4, 2023
There remains much speculation that the 'sonic boom' or 'explosion' heard in the Washington DC area Sunday afternoon resulted from the scrambled fighter jets.
“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.
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.
— Annapolis OEM (@AnnapolisOEM) June 4, 2023
Daily Mail said fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Cessna 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.
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.
The Department of Homeland Security said there is no threat at this time.
UPDATE
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NORAD reportedly 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.
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.”
BREAKING: NORAD issues statement on crashed plane that violated airspace in the Washington, DC area:
“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… pic.twitter.com/XlARVfoYJ4
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 4, 2023
F-16 pilots reportedly said the Cessna pilot was "passed out" before it crashed in Virginia.
🚨 #BREAKING: F-16 pilots which investigated the Cessna jet that overflew DC without making radio contact saw the pilot was "passed out" before it crashed in Virginia - ABC
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 4, 2023
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.
Reuters added:
A Cessna aircraft crashed into mountainous terrain in southwest Virginia around the time the sonic boom was heard in the capital, the Federal Aviation Administration said. A Cessna Citation can carry seven to 12 passengers.
A U.S. official said the jet fighters did not cause the crash.
A separate source familiar with the matter said the Cessna was believed to be on autopilot and did not respond to authorities.
Four people were on board the Cessna, CNN reported, citing an unnamed source.
The U.S. military attempted to establish contact with the pilot, who was unresponsive, until the Cessna subsequently crashed near the George Washington National Forest in Virginia, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement.
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