Fighter jets scrambled to intercept an aircraft when a pilot was spotted slumped over in the cockpit of an errant plane that crashed after flying over Washington DC. No survivors were discovered at the aircraft wreckage, which is believed to have been carrying four people.
The plane took off in Elizabethton, Tennessee, on Sunday, before strangely turning around while travelling over Long Island in New York.
The plane had originally been heading for the island’s MacArthur Airport, but found itself over DC instead before crashing into mountains near Montebello, Virginia.
An official has said that fighter jets from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland were deployed to inspect the aircraft when the pilot was spotted slumped over in the cockpit.
A senior government official said that the plane, named Cessna Citation, was radioed by air traffic controllers 15 minutes after it took to the air at 1.13pm local time, instructing it to stop its climb at 33,000ft.
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The aircraft turned around near New York City, and is thought to have run out of fuel before crashing just after 3.30pm local time.
The pilot’s silence and unresponsiveness to air controllers remains unexplained, as does what might have caused them to be incapacitated.
The deployed fighter jets’ attempts to intercept the plane while it flew above DC was not the cause of the crash, Sky News reports.
They did, however, cause a thunderous, earth-shaking boom that reverberated across the US capital following clearances to travel at supersonic speeds.
An investigation was launched by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Monday, announcing in a statement it would “begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft”.
But days could pass before officials get the chance to gather evidence from the “highly fragmented debris field”.
Adam Gerhardt, NTSB investigator, said: “Everything is on the table until we slowly and methodically remove different components and elements that will be relevant for this safety investigation.”
North American Aerospace Defense Command’s statement said the F-16s used flares to attempt to get the attention of the wayward plane, however they failed to do so.
Reuters was told by a source close to the incident that the Cessana was believed to be on autopilot.
The plane suffered a spiralling descent at over 30,000ft per minute, according to flight tracking websites before crashing into the St Mary’s Wilderness at around 3.30pm local time on Sunday.
It was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc, which is based in Florida, the New York Times reports.
Locals went to social media following the sonic boom as they searched for what happened.
Washington DC lobbyist Cole Rojewski tweeted: “Huge boom or explosion in Washington DC a couple of minutes ago.
“Seems people from Northern Virginia to Maryland heard it. Shook homes here on Capitol Hill.
“Does anyone know what it was?”
Others indicated that the nation’s capital may have been hit by an earthquake, while some reportedly dialled 911.
Shortly following the sound the Department of Homeland Security tweeted: “We are aware of reports from communities throughout the National Capital Region of a loud ‘boom’ this afternoon.
“There is no threat at this time.”
In the end the Office of Emergency Management of the city of Annapolis, located 30 miles east of the capital, said a military exercise was the origin of the sound.
President Joe Biden had been briefed on the incident, the White House said.
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