MYSTERY surrounds the final moments of a private jet flight that made a U-turn over Washington D.C. before crashing into the mountains of Virginia.
The tragic crash took the lives of the "entire family" of Florida businessman and prominent MAGA donor John Rumpel.
F-16 fighter jets were scrambled in pursuit of the Cessna Citation plane after the pilot reportedly lost consciousness and violated airspace.
The chase sparked a sonic boom over the US capital before the private jet crashed into the mountains of Virginia after 3pm on Sunday.
Four people were onboard the plane including a two-year-old girl.
Virginia state police said there were no survivors found at the crash site.
The Cessna had taken off from Elizabethtown, Tennessee, and was heading to the Long Island MacArthur Airport, New York.
Flight tracking data show the jet flew past its destination before it turned around, flying over DC.
The data show the plane started a rapid spiralling descent dropping more than 30,000 feet before crashing in St. Mary’s Wildernes.
The Cessna was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, Florida, owned by John and Barbara Rumpel.
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John Rumpel told the New York Times that his "entire family" was onboard, including a daughter, grandchild, and a nanny.
The prominent MAGA donorsaid: “It descended at 20,000 feet a minute, and nobody could survive a crash from that speed.”
He added that the family were returning to their home in East Hampton, on Long Island, after visiting him in North Carolina.
The Rumpels have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Former President Donald Trump, including a $250,000 donation to the Trump Victory PAC in 2020.
Additionally, Barbara Rumpel made donations to several other Republican candidates including Herschel Walker.
US Capitol Police attempted to contact the pilot, who was unresponsive, National Forest in Virginia, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement.
"The NORAD aircraft were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region," the statement said.
"The pilot was unresponsive and the Cessna subsequently crashed near the George Washington National Forest, Virginia.
"NORAD attempted to establish contact with the pilot until the aircraft crashed."
According to Flight Aware, the plane appeared to reach the New York area, then made nearly a 180-degree turn.
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The Cessna aircraft then "crashed into mountainous terrain in a sparsely populated area of southwest Virginia," according to the FAA.
The FAA said in a statement that it would investigate the crash alongside National Transportation Safety Board.
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