F-16 Fighters Intercept and Pursue Civilian Cessna Plane at Supersonic Speeds over Washington, DC and Northern Virginia

The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) said that F-16 fighters intervened in pursuit of a civilian Cessna plane over Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia on Sunday afternoon, at “supersonic” speeds.

The ministry added that the flight was in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, and that “the fighter was allowed to fly at a speed exceeding the speed of sound, which caused a violation of the sound barrier and an explosion was heard throughout the capital and its suburbs.”

The statement indicated that the fighter tried to draw the pilot’s attention by using luminous bombs, taking into account the highest levels of safety, but to no avail.

The statement confirmed that the civilian plane was intercepted at 3:30 and the pilot did not respond to attempts to communicate with him until the plane crashed over the George Washington forest.

The jet fighters caused a sonic boom over the US capital, causing panic among the people in the area.

Many residents reported hearing a loud noise that shook the floor and walls, and some said they heard the noise as far away as Northern Virginia and Maryland.