Aircraft Causes Sonic Boom over Washington DC Before Crashing in Virginia
A wayward and unresponsive business plane flew over the nation’s capital, Washington DC, on Sunday afternoon, prompting the military to scramble a fighter jet in pursuit. The incident ended in a crash in Virginia, causing a loud sonic boom that reverberated across the capital region. The plane involved was identified as a Cessna Citation, which had taken off from Elizabethtown, Tennessee, with its intended destination being Long Island’s MacArthur Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the Cessna Citation inexplicably turned around over New York’s Long Island and flew in a straight path down over DC before crashing in mountainous terrain near Montebello, Virginia, around 3:30 pm. The reasons behind the plane’s nonresponsiveness, the cause of the crash, and the number of individuals on board were not immediately known.
The military responded swiftly to the situation, with a fighter jet being scrambled to intercept the errant aircraft. The pursuit resulted in a sonic boom over Washington DC, causing consternation among residents in the area. The sonic boom, a loud noise caused by the shockwave created by an aircraft moving faster than the speed of sound, could be heard throughout the capital region.
While the exact details of the military operation remain undisclosed, a US official confirmed that the fighter jet had been deployed to respond to the small plane, which subsequently crashed. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that they were not authorized to publicly discuss specific aspects of the operation.
Flight tracking sites documented the Cessna Citation’s rapid spiraling descent, with the aircraft descending at a rate of over 30,000 feet per minute at one point before crashing in the St. Mary’s Wilderness area. The incident has raised questions about why the plane deviated from its planned route, why it became unresponsive, and the circumstances that led to its crash in Virginia.
Authorities are expected to conduct an investigation into the incident to determine the cause and gather more information about the events leading up to the crash.