Federal authorities launched an
investigation Monday that led to a
private jet entering restricted
airspace over Washington, D.C., on
Sunday. The light plane crashed in
Virginia, killing all four people on
board.

The National Transportation Safety
Board said the private business jet
crashed near Montebello, Virginia.
Rescuers were able to walk to the
wreckage about four hours after
receiving reports of the crash, a
Virginia State Police spokesman
said in a statement Monday.

John Rumpel, who operates
Melbourne-based ncore Motors,
the Florida-based company that
owns the plane, said in a telephone
interview Monday that his daughter
Adina Azarian, his two-year-old
granddaughter, her nanny and the
pilot were in the The plane did not
survive.

The Cessna 560 Citation V crashed
“almost vertically and at high
speed”, he said, adding that the
impact created a crater and
scattered debris over 150 metres.
Rupel said Sunday they would return
to East Hampton, New York, after a
four-day visit to their North Carolina
home.

Military and U.S. officials confirmed
Sunday that warplanes were
dispatched from Joint Base
Andrews, Maryland, after the
Cessna entered restricted airspace,
prompting emergency response to
intercept the flight.

The FAA called the pilot after the
Cessna entered a restricted area
that included important national
landmarks, but did not hear back
from the plane, and the military
ordered the jets to intercept the
aircraft, a military official said.
plane.