The location of the crash, the destruction of the plane and questions about whether the Cessna Citation had an operating black box highlight the arduous job of investigators tasked with determining what happened.
Experts say publicly available data indicates the plane might have lost pressurization, leaving the pilot and passengers unconscious and the jet on autopilot until it ran out of fuel.Virginia State Police said it will probably take weeks to positively identify the four victims. John Rumpel, the owner of the plane,as his daughter, Adina Azarian; granddaughter Aria; the girl’s live-in nanny; and pilot Jeff Hefner.
Hefner was a retired Southwest Airlines captain and former member of its pilots union’s board of directors, the group confirmed. He had recently obtained the highest-level Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate and was rated to fly Boeing 737s, among other planes.“Jeff was a defender of his fellow pilots’ safety, careers, and family,” the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said in a statement. “We offer our deepest condolences to his wife, his family, and his friends.
Newlin said he spends considerable time sifting through the records of potential pilots for his law firm, adding that his decision to hire Hefner was easy. He pointed to Hefner’s flight history, which he said included 25 years and more than 25,000 flight-hours with Southwest. He also was certified as an aircraft mechanic, Newlin said.With Hefner as his captain over the years, Newlin said he learned how much Hefner prioritized his wife and three children.
Gordon quoted from an essay Azarian had written to her daughter describing how one day her mother would become an angel, but would leave her a home and memories.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
4 dead in Cessna Citation plane crash near D.C. Here's what we know so far.The Federal Aviation Administration said a pilot and three passengers were killed in the crash. The plane was destroyed.
Read more »
Virginia plane crash: F-16s shadow Cessna in restricted area; no survivors foundA small plane entered restricted airspace in the D.C. area before crashing in southwest Virginia.
Read more »
Virginia plane crash: NTSB investigators heading to impact siteInvestigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are heading to the scene of a plane crash in western Virginia. Officials say they are in the 'fact finding' part of the investigation.
Read more »
Small plane traveling from Tennessee to Long Island crashes in VirginiaThe Cessna plane took off from Elizabethton, Tennessee, heading for MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma.
Read more »
Pentagon Jets Chased Passed-Out Cessna Pilot Over D.C. Before CrashPentagon fighter jets chased a passed-out Cessna pilot over Washington, D.C. Sunday afternoon, causing a loud sonic boom heard through much of the region. The civilian aircraft crashed shortly after.
Read more »