Four dead, including family members of NRA exec, in crash through restricted airspace that led to sonic boom from F-16 fighter jets
By David Propper,
Allie Griffin and
Ronny Reyes
June 4, 2023 6:02pm
Barbara Rumpel (left) confirmed that her daughter and granddaughter died in the crash.A sonic boom was heard across the Washington, DC, area Sunday afternoon when military jets raced after an unresponsive private plane that crossed into restricted airspace and later crashed, killing all four people onboard.
The deafening boom rang out when two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to investigate the aircraft that was not responding to radio transmissions shortly after 3 p.m., according to the Department of Defense.
Residents around the capital and surrounding communities were left bewildered until more information came out.
The F-16s were deployed after the private Cessna flew into restricted airspace over the capital before it crashed in southwest Virginia.
The fighter jets saw that the pilot of the plane appeared to have passed out, a US official told ABC News.
Rescuers were able to reach the site of the plane crash hours later on foot in a rural part of Shenandoah Valley, and no survivors were found, according to police.
The aircraft departed Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, Tennessee, heading for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
It had reached the New York area before making a nearly 180-degree turn and flying toward Virginia, according to the flight-tracking website Flight Aware.
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https://nypost.com/2023/06/04/sonic-boom-startles-washington-d-c-residents/