According to federal aviation officials, the pilot of a business jet did not respond to air traffic control instructions only minutes into the ill-fated journey that ultimately ended on a remote Virginia mountain.
The situation was quickly reported to a network that includes military, security, and law enforcement agencies.
On Sunday afternoon, a jet took off from a Tennessee airport and lost contact during its ascent. Despite this, the aircraft continued on its intended route towards Long Island, before making a turn to head back to Virginia. Tragically, the jet crashed into a mountain in Virginia, resulting in the deaths of all four individuals on board.
According to family and friends, two of the victims have been identified as an entrepreneur who is well-known in New York’s real estate circles and her 2-year-old daughter.
East Hampton resident Adina Azarian was recently photographed in an undated picture provided by Lakhinder Vohra. The photo captures Azarian posing for the camera.
According to three U.S. officials, fighter jet pilots were dispatched to intercept a business jet and reported that the pilot seemed to be slumped over and unresponsive. This incident occurred on Monday. According to anonymous officials who were not authorized to disclose information about the military operation, they had been briefed on the matter.
A plane was reported to have taken an erratic flight path, turning around over Long Island and flying directly over the nation’s capital. This prompted the military to scramble fighter jets. A sonic boom was heard in Washington, Maryland, and Virginia as a result of this event.
On Monday, investigators spent several hours hiking into a rural area located approximately 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Charlottesville, where a plane had crashed. According to sources, the individuals in question anticipate remaining at the location for a minimum of three to four days.
During a briefing on Monday, Adam Gerhardt, an investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), reported that the wreckage from the incident was in a state of high fragmentation. Gerhardt stated that the investigators would be carefully examining the most delicate evidence at the site before moving the wreckage, potentially by helicopter, to Delaware for further analysis.
The presence of a flight data recorder on the plane was not confirmed. According to sources, a preliminary report is set to be released in 10 days.
According to the Virginia State Police, human remains are set to be transported to the state medical examiner’s office for the purpose of undergoing an autopsy and identification. According to authorities, the victims of the incident comprised of the pilot and three passengers. According to reports, there were no survivors.
On Sunday at 1:13 p.m., a plane departed from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee en route to MacArthur Airport in Long Island, New York.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the airplane lost communication with Air Traffic Control (ATC) during its ascent.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), initial reports suggest that the final communication between air traffic control and the aircraft occurred around 1:28 p.m. while the plane was flying at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9,449 meters).
Approximately eight minutes after the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notified the Domestic Events Network. This network comprises various law enforcement agencies, including the military, national security, and homeland security.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the plane ascended to an altitude of 34,000 feet (10,363 meters) and maintained that height for the duration of the flight. At 3:23 p.m., the plane commenced its descent and tragically crashed approximately nine minutes later.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the plane passed over MacArthur Airport at 2:33 p.m. while flying at an altitude of 34,000 feet.
A plane flew directly over the nation’s capital. Six F-16 fighter jets were reportedly deployed by the Pentagon to intercept the plane. The fighter jets included two from Maryland, two from New Jersey, and two from South Carolina.
The crashed plane’s registration belonged to Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc, located in Florida. According to John Rumpel, a pilot and owner of the company, his family was en route to their Long Island residence following a visit to his North Carolina home.
According to interviews with the New York Times and Newsday, Rumpel has identified two of the victims as his daughter, Adina Azarian, and his 2-year-old granddaughter, Aria.
The late Azarian, aged 49, was a prominent figure in the New York real estate industry. According to acquaintances and family members, she was a determined and competitive businesswoman who founded her own brokerage. Additionally, she was raising her daughter as a single parent.
According to Tara Brivic-Looper, a close friend who grew up with Azarian, “Being a mom was everything to her.” “It is fitting that they were together at the end,” said the speaker.
According to friends, Azarian has relocated to East Hampton on a full-time basis to raise Aria, with the assistance of a nanny. In recent months, she frequently made trips back home, bringing both Aria and the nanny to meet her tight-knit extended family on multiple occasions.
According to her cousin, Andrew Azarian, she appeared to be very content while she was out there. Neither of them had even begun their lives.
The individual questioned, “How could this happen?” The phenomenon remains unexplained, according to sources.