A deviated light aircraft over Washington has prompted the US military to intervene. A fighter jet was deployed to the Cessna Citation machine, which then crashed in the state of Virginia.
US Air Force fighter jets intercepted a light aircraft near the US capital Washington on Sunday. The pilot of the small Cessna Citation aircraft was not responsive and did not respond to the authorities’ speeches, said the North American Air Defense Command Norad.
F-16 fighter jets were involved in the operation at around 3:20 p.m. (local time). A short time later, the small plane crashed near Montebello in the state of Virginia, south of Washington, the US Federal Aviation Administration said.
flares fired
The plane started in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and should have landed in Long Island, New York. Norad said the fighter jets had been given permission to fly at supersonic speeds. Flares were also used “to divert the pilot’s attention”.
It was initially unclear whether there had been a medical emergency on board and the pilot therefore did not react – and whether the small aircraft had violated airspace restrictions over Washington and the surrounding area.
According to CNN information, there were four people on board the small plane, about whom no details were initially known. The machine was not shot down by the military, CNN reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Loud bang startles people
A loud bang startled many people in Washington and the neighboring states of Virginia and Maryland on Sunday afternoon. An explosive noise was heard.
The agency that coordinates emergencies in the city of Annapolis near Washington said it was a sonic boom. This can be heard when an airplane moves through the air at supersonic speeds.