1 of 3 F16 fighters on display in 2019 Photo: Aijaz Rahi/Associated Press/Archive F16 fighters on display in 2019 Photo: Aijaz Rahi/Associated Press/Archive
A plane crashed Sunday (4) in a mountainous area of the US state of Virginia after entering Washington DC airspace and being pursued by US warplanes. According to police, rescue teams went to the crash site and found no survivors.
Supersonic pursuit using F16 fighter jets began after the plane’s pilot failed to respond to calls from the US military.
According to US media, there were at least four people on board. However, as of the release of this report, authorities have not confirmed any fatalities in the accident.
In this report you will see:
Where did the plane fly to?
2 of 3 radar images showing the aircraft’s route Photo: FlightRadar/Portal Radar images showing the aircraft’s route Photo: FlightRadar/Portal
According to US authorities, the plane took off from Elizabethton Airport in Tennessee and was scheduled to land at Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York. The distance is about 1000 km.
Before the plane arrived at Long Island Airport, it turned and changed direction and flew directly towards the capital of the United States. The causes are being investigated.
Who are the victims?
The aircraft, which is a Cessna, is registered with Encore Motors, a Floridabased company. The company owner told the Washington Post that the plane was carrying his daughter, a grandson and the child’s nanny.
“We don’t know anything about the accident,” John Rumpel told the newspaper.
At the time of publication of this report, the authorities had not published a list of the victims. In addition, the police did not provide any information on whether they had found any bodies.
On the other hand, the Portal agency reported that Virginia state officials said rescuers found no survivors at the crash site.
How did the plane crash?
Websites that track flights showed the plane rapidly spiraling out of altitude. Records show that the Cessna crashed at a speed of 550 km/h.
The plane crashed in a mountainous area, which meant it took rescue teams hours to reach the scene of the accident.
A US official said the fighter jets chasing the plane did not cause the crash. It is assumed that the Cessna was on autopilot.
The causes of the crash are being investigated.
Why were fighter planes fired?
3 of 3 Experts say modern American F16 fighters would be Ukraine’s best defense against Russian guided bombs Photo: Lithuanian Ministry of Defense/AP Photo Experts say modern American F16 fighters would be Ukraine’s best defense Ukraine with Russian guided bombs Photo: Lithuanian Ministry of Defense/AP Photo
In the United States and Canada, airspace is patrolled by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The command is a binational military organization.
According to authorities, the pilot of the Cessna violated the airspace of the US capital and did not respond to radio calls from the military.
The military was then authorized to deploy Air National Guard F16 fighters. Authorities said the fighter planes used flares to get the Cessna pilot’s attention.
“Norad’s aircraft have been cleared to fly at supersonic speeds,” the organization said in a statement.