Washington, D.C. Three U.S. officials reported Monday that fighter pilots who intercepted the errant aircraft described the business jet’s pilot as slumped over and unconscious. The business jet crashed in a rural area of Virginia after flying over Washington.
The information was made public as federal investigators hiked through difficult terrain to reach the scene of the jet crash that killed four persons on Sunday. Officials briefed on the situation and spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal specifics of the military operation. They claimed that the fighter pilots noticed the civilian pilot had fallen over.
According to the aircraft’s owner, the plane was carrying his daughter and his 2-year-old granddaughter.
The plane, headed towards New York, made an unusual turn over Long Island and flew directly over the capital, prompting the military to launch fighter fighters. As a result, there was a sonic boom audible across Virginia, Maryland, and Washington.
The crash site’s remote environment severely hindered the investigation. According to NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss, it took investigators several hours to climb into the rural area close to Montebello, located approximately 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Charlottesville. They anticipate spending at least three to four days on the scene.
Adam Gerhardt, an NTSB investigator, stated at a briefing on Monday morning that the wreckage is “highly fragmented” and that the most sensitive evidence will be inspected there first. The waste will then be relocated, possibly by helicopter, to Delaware, where it can be further studied. Although a flight recorder is not required, Gerhardt said other avionics equipment may have data that can be examined.
Due to the collision’s severity, the state medical examiner’s office will receive the human remains for autopsy and identification, according to a statement from the Virginia State Police. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot and three passengers were among the victims, which withheld their names. There were no living people.
According to Gerhardt, investigators will examine when the pilot stopped responding and why the plane took the course it did. According to him, they will consider several elements often investigated in such investigations, such as the plane, its engines, the weather, the pilot’s qualifications, and maintenance records. In ten days, a preliminary report will be made public.
The jet left Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee at 1:13 p.m. on Sunday on its way to MacArthur Airport in Long Island, New York, according to a timeline issued late Monday by NTSB spokesperson Jennifer Gabris. The aircraft’s connection with Air Traffic Control was lost during its ascension.
According to preliminary data, ATC last attempted to contact the aircraft at 31,000 feet (9,449 meters) around 1:28 p.m. The plane soared to a height of 34,000 feet (10,363 kilometers), where it stayed for the duration of the trip until it started to descend at 3:23 p.m. when it crashed some nine minutes later. According to the NTSB, the plane traveled 34,000 feet (10,363 kilometers) as it passed over MacArthur Airport at 2:33 p.m.
The relatives of individuals on board the jet received “deepest condolences” from the White House on Monday.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said that “we need to keep them front and center.”
Kirby referred queries to the Pentagon and the U.S. Secret Service on a follow-up report on the security response over Washington airspace. Nevertheless, he claimed, “What I saw was just a classic, textbook response.”
According to Kirby, the military jets updated the White House as they tracked the small aircraft’s route from Washington airspace to rural Virginia and attempted to contact the civilian plane’s captain.
According to recordings on LiveATC.net, air traffic control audio from the half-hour before the plane’s accident records speakers identifying as military pilots attempting to connect with the private plane’s captain.
One of the pilots identified herself with the Air National Guard and stated, “If you hear this transmission, contact us.”
You have been intercepted, a military pilot announces a few minutes later. Could you message me?
The nation’s capital was directly overflown by the aircraft. Six F-16 fighter fighters were immediately sent out to intercept the plane, according to the Pentagon. The first to arrive at the Cessna Citation to start trying to contact the pilot were two aircraft from the 113th Fighter Wing, based out of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Two F-16s from New Jerse
