Private aircraft crashes in Virginia after pilot unresponsive, fighter jets try to intervene

RIP to all in this tragedy.

The aircraft was built in 1990 and unless it was retrofitted (if even possible), it didn't have Emergency Descent Mode (EDM) to auto-descend to a level where pilot(s) can recover consciousness, if a loss of cabin pressure did occur. Functional heating may have been able to keep the windows clear.

This report answered all my questions. Now all we need to do is wait for the NTSB report to give us a final say on the variables.

RIP to all victims

I have lost consciousness in a training mission. It's actually a very peaceful death. They probably never knew what happened. RIP.

This will be a MAYDAY air disaster episode

Appears similar to the Payne Stewart incident.

People say that incidents with a planes are much more rare than cars, but you are far more likely to survive in a car crash than a plane.

The last point on the flight plan was CCC. The autopilot flew to CCC then turned towards the airport. Once the airplane overflew the airport it just continues to fly on that heading. If the pilot was incapacitated and the auto pilot was on the u-turn makes complete sense if you look at the filed flight plan.

That has happened before to a civil airliner as well. Helios Flight 522. The sudden loss of cabin pressure knocked almost everyone out. That plane too was caught by F-16s and all the pilots could do was watch the airliner crash.

Wow how awful 😢

This is just horrible many prayers for the family

A restrictive air space is cylinder column above the ground rising to a height level of 18,000 feet; the private jet was flying at 34,000 feet above the restrictive air space and wouldn’t have cause an immediate NORAD response. The time delay is reasonable for an assistance call from the FAA to NORAD to investigate.

It’s going to be a stuck open pressurization out flow valve. Solo pilot was task saturated on his climb out and didn’t realize what his cabin altitude was.

Such a sad tragedy. Luckily no one on the ground was harmed.

Unbelievable

Such a sad loss.

Very tragic 😢condolences to the families

The F-16s was given permission to go supersonic to catch up with the private jet because it had gone pass their normal incept area because it had never violated the restrictive air space flying at 34,000 feet. The F-16 had to take off and get up to 34,000 feet and chase down the private jet.

I remember the last time this happened (it was this very century) and it just creeped me out - the thought of the radio hailing over and over while everyone on the plane was silent and still because of the decompression. I think it was on the west coast that time. Eventually the fighters had to force the plane into a crash while they could still control the damage. You got to wonder about the pilots that have to do that. It's a nerve wracking maneuver that could take out more than one plane and the guilt afterwards, the what-ifs. Agh - I hate it when this happens.