Unresponsive Cessna in DC Airspace Crashes Following F-16 Fighter Jet Intercept

F-16 fighter jets intercept unresponsive Cessna plane prior to the crash in Southwest Virginia
A sonic boom reverberated in the area as the fighter jets flew at supersonic speeds
The small plane was believed to be carrying four passengers at the time of the incident

The United States military deployed F-16 fighter jets from Joint Base Andrews to intercept a private Cessna plane that flew into DC airspace before a crash in Southwest Virginia on Sunday afternoon.

The incident caused a sonic boom reverberating as the fighter jets flew at supersonic speeds. In a statement issued on Sunday night, it was unresponsive when the F-16s intercepted the private plane.

F-16 Fighter Jets Intercept Cessna in DC Airspace

Authorities were still in the dark about why the small Cessna plane did not respond when hailed by officials or crashed later on. Three people who had knowledge of the incident and spoke under the condition of anonymity said that the military did not shoot down the private plane, as per the Washington Post.

NORAD added that the F-16 fighter jets that intercepted the Cessna plane used flares to try and get the attention of the small plane's pilot. The incident occurred around 3:20 p.m., and officials noted that the Cessna was also unresponsive to air traffic control communications before the crash.

The fighter jets were authorized to fly at supersonic speeds to intercept the small private plate, causing a loud, explosive sound. The powerful sonic boom startled residents across the District, Maryland, and Virginia.

For about an hour, people in the area were confused about what was making the noise, and many users on social media platforms reported hearing the sonic boom and feeling accompanying vibrations. The burst shook houses and left residents scrambling to search for the origin of the sound.

A flight tracking website later showed that the Cessna plane made it to its initial destination, Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York. However, according to ABC News, the small plane appears to have not landed and instead flew back toward the DC area.

Unresponsive Private Aircraft

Another source said that the White House and the US Capitol were placed on high alert amid the incident but were not under "red alert," which would have resulted in an evacuation of the premises. The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) identified the plane to be a Cessna Citation, and Virginia State Police were searching on Sunday but have not yet recovered anything.

Authorities believe four people were on board the private Cessna plane, said a source familiar with the matter. The Cessna Citation can carry up to 12 passengers inside its fuselage.

The private plane was later found to be registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, Florida, based on data from Flight Aware. The company's owner, John Rumpel, said his daughter, a grandchild, and her nanny were on board the Cessna plane.

In a statement, Rumpel said they knew nothing about the crash and were in talks with the FAA regarding the incident. Another source familiar with the matter said that the plane was flying on autopilot at the time of the incident, said Reuters.