Commercial plane chased by F-16 fighter jet and crashed in Washington

US officials said fighter jets caused explosions while traveling at supersonic speeds over Washington, DC, surprising residents in the Washington area, in an attempt to catch up with the errant Cessna Citation.

Commercial plane chased by F-16 fighter jet in Washington and crashed into mountain picture 1 — The Cessna Citation is a light commercial aircraft that can only carry a few passengers. Photo: WIKI

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said a Cessna plane crashed into mountainous terrain in southwest Virginia around the time an explosion was heard as the plane was traveling at supersonic speeds over the nation's capital. A Cessna Citation can carry between seven and 12 passengers.

A US official said fighter jets were not involved in the crash. A source said the Cessna was believed to be on autopilot and did not respond to signals from authorities. CNN reported that four people were on board the Cessna, citing an unnamed source.

The US military attempted to contact the pilot, who was unresponsive, until the Cessna later crashed near the George Washington National Forest in Virginia, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement.

“NORAD aircraft are authorized to fly at supersonic speeds and people in the area may hear the sonic boom,” the statement said, adding that NORAD aircraft also use flares to attract the pilots’ attention.

The Cessna took off from Elizabethton City Airport, Tennessee, and was headed to Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York, about 50 miles east of Manhattan, the FAA said in a statement, adding that the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident.

Commercial plane chased by F-16 fighter jet in Washington and crashed into mountain picture 2 — An F-16 of the US military. This fighter can move at supersonic speed and possesses many modern weapons. Photo: GI

The FAA said the crash occurred around 3:30 p.m. local time Sunday. According to flight-tracking website Flight Aware, the plane appeared to have reached the New York area and made a nearly 180-degree turn before ending up in Virginia.

ABC News quoted an unnamed US official as saying that Air National Guard F-16 fighters were deployed from Joint Base Andrews. At least one military pilot saw the unconscious Cessna pilot.

Although rare, incidents involving unresponsive pilots due to unconsciousness have occurred. Golfer Payne Stewart died in 1999 along with four others after his plane crashed in South Dakota with no survivors. In the case of Stewart’s flight, the plane lost pressure, causing the occupants to become unconscious due to lack of oxygen.

Similarly, a small US private plane with an unresponsive pilot crashed off the east coast of Jamaica in 2014 after veering too far southwest of Florida and triggering a US security alert, prompting a fighter jet to be scrambled to divert it.

Huy Hoang (according to Reuters, CNN, ABC)

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