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     * [13]United States (BUTTON)

Jet fighters chase small plane in Washington area before it crashes in
Virginia

   By [14]Phil Stewart (BUTTON)
   and [15]Ted Hesson (BUTTON)
   June 4, 202310:51 PM UTCUpdated ago
   An aerial view of Washington D.C., January 28, 2005, features the major
   landmarks of the U.S. capita..
   An aerial view of Washington D.C., January 28, 2005, features the major
   landmarks of the U.S. capital. At bottom center is the Pentagon in
   Arlington, Virginia, cutting through the middle is the Potomac River,
   at center is the Washington Monument and towards top right is the U.S.
   Capitol.
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   WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) - The United States scrambled F-16 fighter
   jets in a supersonic chase of a light aircraft that violated airspace
   in the Washington D.C. area with an unresponsive pilot and later
   crashed into mountainous terrain in southwest Virginia, officials said.

   The jet fighters prompted a sonic boom over the U.S. capital, causing
   consternation among people in Washington area, in an attempt to catch
   up with the errant Cessna Citation, officials said.

   A Cessna aircraft crashed into mountainous terrain in southwest
   Virginia around the time the sonic boom was heard in the capital, the
   Federal Aviation Administration said. A Cessna Citation can carry seven
   to 12 passengers.

   A U.S. official said the jet fighters did not cause the crash.

   A separate source familiar with the matter said the Cessna was believed
   to be on autopilot and did not respond to authorities.

   Four people were on board the Cessna, CNN reported, citing an unnamed
   source.

   The U.S. military attempted to establish contact with the pilot, who
   was unresponsive, until the Cessna subsequently crashed near the George
   Washington National Forest in Virginia, the North American Aerospace
   Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement.

   "The NORAD aircraft were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds and
   a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region," the
   statement said, adding that NORAD aircraft also used flares in an
   attempt to draw attention from the pilot.

   The Cessna took off from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in
   Elizabethton, Tennessee, and was bound for Long Island MacArthur
   Airport in New York, about 50 miles (80 km) east of Manhattan, the FAA
   said in a statement, adding that it and the National Transportation
   Safety Board would investigate.

   The crash occurred around 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT), the FAA said.

   According to the flight-tracking website Flight Aware, the plane
   appeared to reach the New York area and made nearly a 180-degree turn,
   with the flight ending in Virginia.

   Air National Guard F-16s were deployed from Joint Base Andrews, ABC
   News reported, citing an unnamed U.S. official. At least one military
   pilot saw that the Cessna pilot had passed out, ABC reported.

   While rare, incidents involving unresponsive pilots are not
   unprecedented. Golfer Payne Stewart died in 1999 along with four others
   after the aircraft he was in streaked across thousands of miles with
   the pilot and passengers unresponsive. The plane eventually crashed in
   South Dakota with no survivors.

   In the case of Stewart's flight, the plane lost pressure, causing the
   occupants to lose consciousness because of oxygen deprivation.

   Similarly, a small U.S. private plane with an unresponsive pilot
   crashed off the east coast of Jamaica in 2014 after veering far off its
   course toward southwest Florida and triggering a U.S. security alert
   that prompted a fighter jet escort.

   On Sunday, the sonic boom caused consternation among many people in the
   Washington area who took to Twitter to report hearing a loud noise that
   shook the ground and walls. Several residents said they heard the noise
   as far away as northern Virginia and Maryland.
   Reporting by David Lawder, Daniel Trotta, Ted Hesson, Rachael Levy and
   Diane Bartz; Writing by Ross Colvin; Editing by Lisa Shumaker
   (BUTTON)
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   Our Standards: [16]The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


   [81a8ef9d-23ec-43d9-8fc9-ac039da9e59c.jpg]


   [17]Phil Stewart

   Thomson Reuters

   Phil Stewart has reported from more than 60 countries, including
   Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia,
   China and South Sudan. An award-winning Washington-based national
   security reporter, Phil has appeared on NPR, PBS NewsHour, Fox News and
   other programs and moderated national security events, including at the
   Reagan National Defense Forum and the German Marshall Fund. He is a
   recipient of the Edwin M. Hood Award for Diplomatic Correspondence and
   the Joe Galloway Award.
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   [fcd42e48-c71e-414b-8697-2507cb1b69c4.jpg]


   [18]Ted Hesson

   Thomson Reuters

   Ted Hesson is an immigration reporter for Reuters, based in Washington,
   D.C. His work focuses on the policy and politics of immigration, asylum
   and border security. Prior to joining Reuters in 2019, Ted worked for
   the news outlet POLITICO, where he also covered immigration. His
   articles have appeared in POLITICO Magazine, The Atlantic and VICE
   News, among other publications. Ted holds a master's degree from the
   Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and bachelor's degree
   from Boston College.
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