Photo: Anadolu
Investigators are hoping to determine what caused a Cessna 560 Citation V to crash into a remote area near Waynesboro, Virginia, on Sunday (June 4).
According to CNN, one theory investigators are looking into is whether the pilot and passengers were rendered unconscious due to a lack of oxygen. That could occur if the cabin of the plane lost pressure.
When the plane veered into restricted airspace around Washington, D.C., multiple F-16s were launched, and the pilots reported that the pilot of the Cessna appeared to be slumped over the controls.
Shortly after the fighter jets intercepted the small plane, it crashed into a heavily wooded area, leaving a massive crater where it slammed into the ground. John Rumpel, the owner of the aircraft, said that the pilot, his daughter, Adina Azarian, his two-year-old granddaughter Aria, and Aria's nanny, were killed in the crash.
Due to the remote location of the wreckage, recovery efforts will be difficult.
"The wreckage is destroyed, meaning that it is no longer distinguishable as an aircraft. However, there's still several pieces that might be able to assist our fact-finding stage at this point," Adam Gerhardt, lead investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said.