US fighter jets intercept a small plane near Washington – later it crashes Low interest rates are likely to return – but what else happens until then?

U.S. Air Force fighter jets intercepted a light aircraft near the U.S. capital of Washington on Sunday. The pilot of the small Cessna Citation plane was unresponsive and unresponsive to authorities’ speeches, North American Air Defense Command Norad said.

F-16 fighter jets were involved in the operation at around 3:20 pm (local time). A short time later, the small plane crashed near Montebello, Virginia, south of Washington, the US Federal Aviation Administration announced. The plane took off from Elizabethton, Tennessee, and should have landed in Long Island, New York.

Norad said the fighter jets were cleared to fly at supersonic speeds. Flares were also used “to distract the pilot’s attention”. It was initially unclear whether there had been a medical emergency on board and the pilot therefore did not respond – and whether the small plane had violated airspace restrictions over Washington and the surrounding area.

According to CNN information, there were four people on board the small plane, about whom no details were initially known. The machine was not shot down by the military, CNN reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

A loud bang startled many people in Washington and the neighboring states of Virginia and Maryland on Sunday afternoon. An explosive sound was heard. The agency that coordinates emergencies in the Washington city of Annapolis said it was a sonic boom. This can be heard when an aircraft moves through the air at supersonic speeds. (sda/dpa)