US confirms Cessna crash after fighter jets escort
United States Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement on Sunday after two military aircraft were scrambled to catch up with a Cessna that violated airspace over the Washington D.C. area, confirming that the plane in question crashed into the mountains in southwest Virginia.
According to the FAA, the Cessna Citation took off from Elizabethton and was bound for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York, before crashing into mountainous terrain in a sparsely populated area of southwest Virginia around 3 pm local time. Local media reported that the aircraft was believed to be on autopilot and that all attempts to establish contact with the pilot failed.
Washington residents reported loud blasts that coincided with the sonic boom as military jets were sent to investigate and assist the light plane. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be in charge of the investigation.