Four Dead in Crash That Led to Sonic Boom From F-16 Fighter Jets; Florida Businessman Says ‘Entire Family’ Was on Crashed Plane Behind D.C. Chaos

By New York Post. A sonic boom was heard across the Washington DC area Sunday afternoon when military jets raced after a private, unresponsive plane that crossed into restricted airspace and later crashed, killing all four people onboard.

The deafening boom rang out when two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland to investigate the aircraft that was flying, but not responding to radio transmissions shortly after 3 p.m., according to the Department of Defense. . .

The owner of the company where the plane was registered told the Times Sunday his daughter, 2-year-old granddaughter and their nanny, as well as the pilot, were on the doomed plane on their way back to their East Hampton home.

John Rumpel, of Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc, said they were returning to New York after visiting him in North Carolina. He told the newspaper he didn’t have much information but suggested the plane may have lost pressurization. . .

The sonic boom, which occurs after a vehicle breaks the sound barrier at 767 mph, could be heard throughout the capital, and cities in Maryland and northern Virginia, with many taking to Twitter to question the explosion that rattled their homes. (Read more from “Four Dead in Crash That Led to Sonic Boom From F-16 Fighter Jets” HERE)

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Florida Businessman Says ‘Entire Family’ Was on Crashed Plane Behind D.C. Chaos

By The Daily Beast. A Florida businessman and prominent political donor identified himself as the owner of a Cessna passenger aircraft that sparked panic as it flew into restricted U.S. airspace over Washington, D.C. Sunday—before crashing into the Virginia wilderness, according to a report. . .

According to federal aviation records, the plane was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, a Florida-based company owned by John and Barbara Rumpel, though neither were on board at the time of the crash.

In a brief interview with The Washington Post, John Rumpel confirmed he was the owner of Encore and said his “entire family” was on the plane at the time, including his daughter, a grandchild and her nanny. . .

Both Barbara and her husband, prominent business people in Florida, have donated to a medley of Republican candidates for federal office over the past few years, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to former President Donald Trump and his political organization, according to Federal Election Commission records viewed by The Daily Beast. (Read more from “Florida Businessman Says ‘Entire Family’ Was on Crashed Plane Behind D.C. Chaos” HERE)

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