An investigation will begin on Monday at the location where a private plane crashed in the southwest US state of Virginia on Sunday.
The plane sparked a security concern at the Pentagon when it moved into a restricted area near Washington DC, and several Air Force fighter jets were dispatched to intercept it.
Neither military aircraft nor air traffic control managed to make contact with the plane before it crashed at around 15:30 US time.
No survivors were found in the wreckage.
More unanswered questions
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident. The agency stated on Monday that two main questions remained unanswered for now:
- When do airplane pilots stop responding to outside contact?
- Why is the plane moving over the restricted area?
– This will definitely be part of this investigation, NTSB investigator Adam Gerhardt told the press near the crash site, according to Reuters.
The plane took off from Elizabethton Municipal in Tennessee and was actually bound for Long Island MacArthur in New York.
THE PLACE: Police secured the entrance to the mountainous area where the private plane crashed Sunday afternoon. Photo: Randall K. Wolf via AP/NTB
see more
The agency currently has no clear hypothesis about what might happen.
“Basically everything is on the table – aircraft, engines, weather conditions, pilot qualifications, maintenance – of course we will look at all these aspects,” said Gerhardt
He described the wreckage as “highly fragmented” and the crash site as “very challenging”.
Lost family
Residents of the American capital could hear explosions Sunday, as fighter jets broke the sound barrier to catch the private plane.
They were ordered to fly at supersonic speed.
The unnamed official claimed to some American media that the fighter jet did not cause the plane crash.
The private plane, a Cessna 560 Citation V, is said to have cut off at around 3:20 p.m., before crashing near the George Washington National Forest ten minutes later.
Four people are said to be on board.
John Rumpel, the owner of the company where the plane was registered, informed Washington Post that his daughter, grandson, and their governess were among them.
Avisa wrote that an initial report on the plane crash is expected in three weeks. The final report, which will conclude about the cause of the crash, will probably be in a year at the earliest.
“Subtly charming web junkie. Unapologetic bacon lover. Introvert. Typical foodaholic. Twitter specialist. Professional travel fanatic.”
