Unresponsive Small Plane Triggers AF Scramble Over DC

[LadyTevar]

Unresponsive Cessna over DC causes AF Jet scramble and Sonic Boom

WASHINGTON (AP) — A wayward and unresponsive business plane that flew over the nation’s capital Sunday afternoon caused the military to scramble a fighter jet before the plane crashed in Virginia, officials said. The fighter jet caused a loud sonic boom that was heard across the capital region.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the Cessna Citation took off from Elizabethtown, Tennessee, on Sunday and was headed for Long Island’s MacArthur Airport. Inexplicably, the plane turned around over New York’s Long Island and flew a straight path down over D.C. before it crashed over mountainous terrain near Montebello, Virginia, around 3:30 p.m.

It was not immediately clear why the plane was nonresponsive, why it crashed or how many people were on board.

A U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press that the military jet had scrambled to respond to the small plane, which later crashed. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the military operation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Flight tracking sites showed the jet suffered a rapid spiraling descent, dropping at one point at a rate of more than 30,000 feet per minute before crashing in the St. Mary’s Wilderness.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command later said in a statement that the F-16 was authorized to travel at supersonic speeds, which caused a sonic boom.

“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 statement said. “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.”

Virginia State Police said officers were notified of the potential crash shortly before 4 p.m. Police were still working to find the plane on Sunday evening but hadn’t been able to locate the crash site, police spokesperson Corinne Geller said.

The plane that crashed was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc. A woman who identified herself as Barbara Rumpel, who is listed as the president of the company in Melbourne, Florida, said she had no comment Sunday when reached by a reporter for The Associated Press.

President Joe Biden was playing golf at Joint Base Andrews around the time the fighter jet took off. Anthony Guglielmi, spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service, said the incident had no impact on the president’s movements Sunday. Biden was playing golf at the Maryland military base with his brother in the afternoon.

A White House official said: “The President was briefed on the incident. The sound resulting from the authorized DOD aircraft was faint at JBA.”

The Pentagon and the D.C. Air National Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday.

[Broomstick]

My money is on a de-pressurization accident.

[Khaat]

I was thinking medical emergency of the pilot (grandfather?).

[LadyTevar]

I was thinking medical emergency of the pilot (grandfather?).

That would leave the question of why the mother and nanny were not seen active in the plane. Waving to the jets, trying the radio, something.

[Solauren]

We don't know how many people were on board. For all we know it could have been anything from 1 person, who had an emergency and crashed, a bunch of rowdy drunken people who passed out, or someone having rigged up a way to remote pilot an airplane like a drone and it failed.

[Khaat]

The plane that crashed was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc, which is based in Florida. John Rumpel, who runs the company, told The New York Times that his daughter, 2-year-old granddaughter, her nanny and the pilot were aboard the plane. They were returning to their home in East Hampton, on Long Island, after visiting his house in North Carolina, he said.

From http://apnews.com/article/washington-vi ... 159e261f1b

I have been watching for updates on the story, but so far not really any, apart from "crash site found, no survivors." Media seems to be fixated on "interceptors scrambled, sonic boom, gosh-golly ain't our war machines sweet"

The fact that the "rapid spiraling descent" was right before the crash suggests a) someone may have gotten the autopilot disengaged, but was trying to fly without help, or b) it could mean the fuel was exhausted and it went into stall/spin/splat.

[Khaat]

Or I just hadn't looked far enough

The officials who said that the fighter pilots saw the civilian pilot slumped over had been briefed on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the military operation.

From http://apnews.com/article/washington-vi ... dede94524c

[Broomstick]

For clarification...

People on board: professional charter pilot, owner's daughter, owner's granddaughter, and granddaughter's nanny (owner not on board), 4 people total.

Plane took off from Elizabethtown, Tennesse, flew north-east, overshot its destination, turned around and came back, then crashed when it ran out of fuel.

Air traffic control had lost contact with the plane shortly after take-off. One of the interceptors claimed to have seen the pilot slumped over. No response from the plane. It is believed that the airplane was on auto-pilot since the pilot went silent, the flight pattern is consistent with the sort of auto-pilot known to be on board that airplane.

Cessna Citations used as private transport are not required to have a black box or voice recorder.

I'm not surprised little useful was found in the wreckage. A Cessna Citation can cruise at Mach 0.94, which is faster than commercial airliners go. In a dive it could potentially (even likely) go supersonic before hitting the landscape. Very little would survive such an impact.