The pilot of a military jet that scrambled to intercept a private plane that flew over D.C. before crashing in rural Virginia saw that aircraft’s pilot slumped over, according to two people familiar with the situation.
Adam Gerhardt, the lead investigator, said he expects his team to be on the scene for three to four days, and that investigators will be contending with remote, mountainous terrain.
“It is important for the responding aircraft, in this case F-16s, to reach the situation as quickly as possible,” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Devin Robinson said. “This allows more time for the people on the ground to run through procedures and gives more time for decisions to be made.”The military jets and air traffic controllers were unable to make contact with the plane, officials said, and it crashed about 3:30 p.m. in Augusta County. First responders reached the crash site about 8 p.m.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former FAA and NTSB investigator, said flight-tracking data suggests the pilot was not in control of the private jet long before it reached New York. The plane continued to fly at about 34,000 feet until it begin to spiral to the ground. Guzzetti said the final minutes of the flight indicate the fuel for the plane’s right engine was exhausted.It will be up to the NTSB to determine what might have caused the plane to lose pressure and why the pilot was not able to use an oxygen system. Guzzetti said investigators will want to know when the oxygen system was last serviced and whether maintenance records reveal any issues with the plane.
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