No survivors were found at a Washington, DC area crash site that authorities are still investigating. The names of the passengers have not been released to the public.
The pilot of the plane was unresponsive, even after US F-16 fighter fighter jets attempted to intercept the aircraft before it ultimately crashed, authorities say.
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First responders reached the site Sunday evening, said Virginia State Police, about four hours after state and local authorities launched a ground and air search for the plane.
US F-16 fighter jets caused a sonic boom across the Washington, DC region while trying to reach the private plane, but opted not to shoot it down, according to a news release from the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region. The release clarified that the jets were “authorized to travel at supersonic speeds,” which resulted in the sonic boom, and that they used flares “in an attempt to draw attention from the pilot.
“The pilot was unresponsive and the Cessna subsequently crashed near the George Washington National Forest, Virginia,” the release added. “NORAD attempted to establish contact with the pilot until the aircraft crashed.”
The plane, a Cessna 560 Citation V, was intercepted by the NORAD jets around 3:20 p.m. and later crashed near the George Washington National Forest in Virginia. Four people were onboard the plane, which reportedly overshot its planned destination by 315 miles before crashing.
The National Transportation Safety Board said on Twitter it “is investigating the June 4 crash of a Cessna 560 airplane near Montebello, Virginia” and will start “the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft.”
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