Heavy
A Virginia plane crash video has captured the sound of an explosion or “sonic boom” after fighter pilots scrambled to track a plane that crashed in Virginia.
According to the North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD, 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.”
According to Reuters, the United States “scrambled F-16 fighter jets in a supersonic chase” when a “light aircraft with an unresponsive pilot” entered Washington D.C. airspace before crashing “into the mountains of Virginia.”
NORAD Responds to an Unresponsive Aircraft over the National Capital Region
No one survived the crash of the Cessna, according to Reuters, which reported that four people were on board. The victims have not been named by authorities, and the cause of the crash was not released. However, Barbara Rumpel wrote on Facebook, according to The Washington Times, “My family is gone, my daughter and granddaughter.” Her page has now been deleted. According to the National Rifle Association’s Women’s Leadership Forum website, she is a NRA Women’s Leadership Forum Executive Committee member.
Daily Mail identified Rumpel’s daughter as Adina Azarian, 49, a real estate broker in East Hampton. According to The New York Times, Azarian’s father owns the plane and said the aircraft may have lost pressurization.
Here’s what you need to know:
Video Captured the Sound of a ‘Sonic Boom’ From the Fighter Planes Responding to the Situation
Video captured a “sonic boom.” According to 7News DC, the “explosion” in the Washington D.C. area was a “sonic boom” that “was caused by F-16s scrambling to investigate a plane that flew over the D.C. area that crashed in Virginia.”
The NORAD aircraft “were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region,” the NORAD news release says.
“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,” the release adds. “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.”
Heavy has contacted the Virginia State Police and National Transportation Safety Board for additional details. Heavy has also contacted the North American Aerospace Defense Command for more information.
The Virginia Plane Crash Scene Contained Only 4 ‘Recognizable Pieces of Wreckage,’ a Report Says
According to CNN, the private plane caused a “crater” when it crashed. CNN spoke to four first responders who told the network there was a “grisly scene” at the site of the crash.
All that was left of the plane was “four recognizable pieces of wreckage,” CNN reported, after it “impacted the ground at a very steep angle.”
“There was nothing really bigger than your arm,” a first responder told CNN.
According to NORAD’s news release, 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’s release says. “NORAD attempted to establish contact with the pilot until the aircraft crashed.”
CNN reported that there was a frantic attempt by traffic controllers, fighter jets, and even other civilian pilots to contact the crew by radio.