Investigators probing Virginia plane crash

June 6, 2023 - U.S. federal authorities are investigating what caused a private plane to fly hundreds of kilometres off its flight path – intercepted by fighter jets – before it crashed, killing all four people on board.

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The plane, a Cessna 560 Citation V, crossed restricted airspace over Washington D.C. before plummeting in Virginia.

It is not certain why the plane veered off course, but loss of cabin pressure − which could render the pilot and passengers unconscious − is a possibility.

Fighter jet pilots who attempted to intercept the plane flying in restricted airspace over Washington reported seeing its pilot slumped over and unresponsive.

John Rumpel, who runs Encore Motors of Melbourne, a Florida-based company that owns the aircraft, said in a telephone interview that his daughter; his 2-year-old granddaughter; her nanny and the pilot were on the plane and did not survive.