NORAD Rejects Responsibility For Business Jet Crash In Virginia

There is no evidence that the recent crash of a Cessna Citation business jet over Virginia was caused by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), as its representatives did not shoot the aircraft down, unnamed NORAD officials told The Washington Post on Monday.
On Sunday, a Cessna Citation business jet crashed in Virginia after loud explosion-like sounds were heard in Washington DC and its surroundings. On Monday, NORAD said that the sonic boom was caused by a fighter jet raised in the air to intercept the plane, which was unresponsive.

NORAD tried to make contact with the pilot and attract their attention using flares, but without success, the department's officials told the newspaper, adding that a total of six military planes had been raised to intercept the aircraft, but only two of them had "inspected" the jet.

It is still unclear why the plane did not respond and why it crashed, the NORAD officials were cited as saying by the newspaper.

The crashed business jet is owned by Encore Motors of Melbourne, a company based in the US state of Florida. Relatives of the entity's chief, John Rumpel, were on board the aircraft at the time of the incident. They included his daughter, a two-year-old granddaughter, a babysitter and a pilot, Rumpel told The New York Times.