Residents of the United States capital and surrounding areas reported on social media that they heard a bang that shook windows and walls kilometers away.
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Two F-16 fighters were mobilized due to the lack of response from a private jet “Cessna 560 Citation V over Washington and northern Virginia”, described the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in a statement.
The two fighter jets took off from a base in Maryland, a Pentagon official told AFP, to catch up with the plane that crashed in a mountainous area in southwestern Virginia.
President Joe Biden, who was in the region, was informed of the incident, a White House official told the press, without specifying whether precautionary measures were taken.
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According to public data, the plane was registered to the company Encore Motors of Melbourne, Florida.
Its owner, John Rumpel, told the Washington Post that his entire family was on board, including his daughter, grandson and nanny. “We don’t know anything about the accident,” he explained.
U turn
The aircraft left the state of Tennessee (east) and was heading to Long Island, in the state of New York (northeast), according to the United States Civil Aviation (FAA).
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The flight tracking website Flightradar24 indicated, however, that the jet turned around after flying over Long Island, heading south, which made it pass over Washington and Virginia.
Investigators are expected to arrive at the scene of the accident this Monday (5), reported the Washington Post.
The fighter jets “were allowed to travel at supersonic speeds and a supersonic boom was heard by residents in the region,” NORAD said. The planes also launched flares to draw the attention of the piloto, but they were unable to contact him.
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The army did not shoot down the plane, according to several American media outlets.
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