Two fighter jets scramble over Washington to intercept a private jet that has crashed in Virginia

A supersonic explosion reverberated Sunday, June 4 in Washington, as two fighter jets attempted to intercept an unresponsive device before it crashed in Virginia. Residents of the US federal capital and its environs reported hearing a thunderous noise that shook windows and walls for miles around and prompted many questions on social networks.

Two F-16s were mobilized due to a private jet not responding “Cessna 560 Citation V over Washington and Northern Virginia”North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) described it in a press release. The two fighter jets took off from Air Force Base Andrews in Maryland, a Pentagon official told AFP, to join the plane, which then crashed in a mountainous area in southwest Virginia.

A White House official told reporters that President Joe Biden, who was in the area Sunday, was briefed on the incident, without specifying whether precautions were taken.

Four people on board

The civilian plane had taken off from Elizabethton, Tennessee, to join Long Island, New York state, according to the US Civil Aviation Authority (FAA).

NORAD fighters “They were allowed to travel at supersonic speed and the people of the area could hear a boom boom”, described in a press release. Sonic booms occur when a device breaks the sound barrier. They can surprise residents and cause damage, in particular by breaking windows.

NORAD said it sought to establish contact with the pilot before the crash, and intercepted him around 3:20 p.m. local time. The plane also dropped booby traps in an attempt to attract the pilot’s attention. The FAA reports that the plane eventually crashed near Montebello, Virginia, about 270 miles southwest of Washington, around 3:30 p.m. local time. Several US media reported that the military did not shoot down the plane.

The crashed plane was registered to a Florida-based company. John Rompel, who runs the company, told Lt The New York Times that her two-year-old daughter and granddaughter, her nanny, and the pilot were on board. They were returning home to East Hampton, Long Island, after his visit.

According to many American media, the location of the crash site has not yet been determined. Investigators hope to be at the scene on Monday.