05 June 2023 , 23:04
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Two people who died in a private jet crash that caused an F-16 to scramble above Virginia were the daughter and granddaughter of a major Donald Trump donor.
Adina Azarian and her two-year-old daughter both died in the crash and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating.
They were among four killed in the crash, alongside the toddler's nanny and pilot.
It is not clear what caused the crash, but Adina's dad John Rumpel told the New York Times that it could have been a depressurisation of the cabin, meaning all onboard lost consciousness.
"They all just would have gone to sleep and never woke up," Rumpel said, explaining the family was returning home from a visit to his own estate in North Carolina. They were returning to their home in East Hampton.
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The Rumpel's with Donald Trump (Facebook)Rumpel - he and his wife are major donors to the likes of Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump - added the horror crash took place after a descent of 20,000 feet a minute.
The couple donated $250,000 to the Trump campaign in 2020 and Mrs Rumpel is on the NRA board of directors for 2023.
She also served on Donald Trump's 2nd Amendment Coalition.
'Nobody could survive a crash from that speed, Mr Rumpel said (Facebook)
Barbara Rumpel served on Donald Trump's 2nd Amendment Coalition (Facebook)"Nobody could survive a crash from that speed," he said.
Flight tracking sites showed the jet suffered a rapid spiralling descent, dropping at a rate of more than 30,000 feet per minute before crashing.
The plane turned around over New York's Long Island before it flew a straight path over the American capital.
The Cessna wasn't responding to radio transmissions, with officials suggesting he had fallen unconscious.
Adina Azarian (Facebook)
Mr Rumpel believes the four onboard the Cessna likely lost consciousness (Facebook)The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said it authorised an aircraft to "travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region".
NORAD added the jet used flares "in an attempt to draw attention from the pilot".
The rogue plane, a Cessna Citation private jet, crashed into a mountainous region near Montebello, Virginia.
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Hours later, police said rescuers had reached the site of the plane crash in a rural part of the Shenandoah Valley and no survivors were found.
The crash of the Cessna Citation caused an F-16 to scramble from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland which caused a sonic boom heard from Maryland to Virginia and in Washington DC.
The sound of the sonic boom sparked panic in some areas as terrified residents rang 911 after the sound made windows rattle and alarms blare, reports NBC.
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said: "We are aware of reports from communities throughout the National Capital Region of a loud “boom” this afternoon. There is no threat at this time."
The city of Bowie, Maryland, added: "We have confirmed that the loud boom heard in Bowie was a sonic boom from a plane out of Joint Base Andrews."
President Joe Biden was playing golf at Joint Base Andrews around the time the fighter jet took off. Anthony Guglielmi, spokesperson for the US Secret Service, said the incident had no impact on the president's movements Sunday. Biden was playing golf at the Maryland military base with his brother in the afternoon.
A White House official said: "The President was briefed on the incident. The sound resulting from the authorised DOD aircraft was faint at JBA."