MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2023) The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed on Monday that a sonic boom in the Washington DC area and its surroundings was caused by the F-16 fighter jet that intercepted a Cessna Citation business jet.
Earlier in the day, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Sputnik after multiple media reports of loud explosion-like sounds in Washington that the Cessna Citation aircraft crashed in Virginia. The media reported that the aircraft was unresponsive, while the sonic boom was caused by a fighter jet.
"In coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, NORAD F-16 fighter aircraft responded to an unresponsive Cessna 560 Citation V aircraft over Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia on June 4, 2023. The NORAD aircraft were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region," NORAD said in a statement.
Cessna Citation was intercepted at about 19:20 GMT, the statement noted, adding that NORAD attempted to establish contact with the pilot until the aircraft crashed.
Rescuers have not so far located any survivors after the plane crash, the Virginia police said.
"Search efforts are still underway by state and local law enforcement ... Nothing has been located at this time," the police was quoted as saying by the ABC news broadcaster.
There were a total of four people on board the Cessna Citation aircraft, the report said.
The crashed business jet is owned by the Encore Motors of Melbourne company based in the US state of Florida, The New York Times reported, adding that the relatives of the entity's chief, John Rumpel, had been on board the aircraft at the time of the crash.
"I don't think they've found the wreckage yet. It descended at 20,000 feet a minute, and nobody could survive a crash from that speed," Rumpel was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
He specified that those on board the crashed plane had included his daughter, a two-year-old granddaughter, a babysitter and a pilot. They were returning home to East Hampton, New York, after a four-day visit to Rumpel's house in North Carolina, the report added.
