The pilot of a private plane that entered restricted Washington, D.C., air space before crashing into a mountainous wooded area in Virginia was reportedly seen slumped over in his seat prior to the fatal high-speed disaster that killed four people Sunday.
Fighter jets were scrambled outside the nation’s capital Sunday afternoon as a private plane carrying three passengers hurled forward with no response from the rogue aircraft’s operator. According to CNN, another source said crash investigators are wondering if that slouched-over flier and his passengers were rendered helpless by hypoxia, which results from a lack of oxygen.
Air traffic controllers and nearby flight crews tried in vain to contact the ill-fated flight traveling from Tennessee to Long Island. A sonic boom was heard from the ground as F-16s raced toward the doomed plane — even using flares to get the attention of its unresponsive operator. The Pentagon said a half-dozen six fighter jets were deployed to intercept the aircraft.
The private plane was reportedly flying at the high altitude of 34,000 feet. Its pilot would have had limited time to apply his oxygen mask before losing consciousness as pressure dropped.
Investigators are also said to be interested in the behavior of the plane’s autopilot system. The Cessna 560 Citation V changed direction and travelled 300 miles before slamming into the George Washington National Forest at a high rate of speed, aviation officials said.
The plane was owned by businessman and notable Donald Trump donor John Rumpel, who told the Washington Post his 49-year-old daughter, 2-year-old granddaughter and a domestic helper were on board the aircraft.
No survivors were located when rescue workers reached the crash site around 8 p.m. Sunday. One first responder told CNN the violent impact and angle of the fatal collision left behind little sizable wreckage.