‘My family is gone’: NRA exec and Trump donor pays heartbreaking tribute to daughter and granddaughter killed in private jet crash that sparked F-16 response as ‘unresponsive pilot’ flew over DC
- Barbara Rumpel, an NRA leader and conservative donor, confirmed her daughter and granddaughter died in the crash
- Virginia State Police confirmed to DailyMail.com that no survivors have been located from the private jet crash
- ‘My family is gone, my daughter and granddaughter,’ Rumpel wrote in the comments of a post sharing her attendance at an NRA conference
A Florida woman and NRA Director posted a heartbreaking tribute to her daughter and granddaughter after it was confirmed that no one survived the wayward and unresponsive business plane that flew over the nation’s capital Sunday afternoon.
The flight, which was prompted the Pentagon to scramble an interceptor fighter jet Sunday afternoon as the pilot had become unresponsive.
The private Cessna jet from Elizabethton, Tennessee came close to both the US Capitol building and the White House at around 3.30pm, Federal Aviation Administration officials say.
Barbara Rumpel, a businesswoman and member of the NRA Women’s Leadership Form, posted to Facebook Sunday, confirming that her daughter and granddaughter died in the crash.
‘My family is gone, my daughter and granddaughter,’ Rumpel wrote in the comments of a post sharing her attendance at an NRA conference.
Virginia State Police confirmed to DailyMail.com Sunday evening through a spokeswoman that there were no survivors among the four on board. Rumpel’s husband John, claimed that his ‘entire family’ was on the plane, including his daughter, grandchild and the kid’s nanny.
A Florida woman and NRA Director posted a heartbreaking tribute to her daughter and granddaughter after it was confirmed that no one survived the wayward and unresponsive business plane that flew over the nation’s capital Sunday afternoon
A photo Barbara Rumpel previously shared of her granddaughter
The plane that crashed was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc, which is owned by the Rumpels.
‘We know nothing about the crash,’ he told the Washington Post. ‘We are talking to the FAA now. I’ve got to keep the line clear.’
The Rumpels are large-scale donors to conservative political candidates, including former President Donald Trump, having given a combined $250,000 to a PAC supporting Trump’s 2020 campaign.
They’ve also donated to Senate candidate Herschel Walker and Congressional candidate Laura Loomer.
Barbara Rumpel was also a co-chair of ‘Second Amendment Coalition for Trump-Pence’ in 2016. She has been on the NRA’s Women’s Leadership Council since 2002 and spent more than six years on the organization’s executive committee.
The aircraft was on its way to Long Island, New York, but once it reached its destination, it turned around and headed back to Washington DC, flight paths show. A source familiar with the situation told Reuters it appeared to be on autopilot at the time.
The Rumpels are large-scale donors to conservative political candidates, including former President Donald Trump, having given a combined $250,000 to a PAC supporting Trump’s 2020 campaign
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed a private Cessna jet, like the one seen here, crashed into the mountainous regions of Virginia
US military officials scrambled fighter jets from Andrews Air Force Base, where President Joe Biden was playing golf at the time, to pursue the Cessna Citation, which can only carry about 12 passengers.
Flight tracking sites showed the jet suffered a rapid spiraling descent, dropping at one point at a rate of more than 30,000 feet per minute before crashing in the St. Mary´s Wilderness.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command later said in a statement that the F-16 was authorized to travel at supersonic speeds, which caused a sonic boom.
The aircraft eventually crashed in the mountainous regions of Virginia, though military officials deny that the pursuit caused the crash.
A search is now underway for the crash site in Staunton, WFXRTV reports.
The Department of Homeland Security said there is no threat at this time.
A Twitter user showing his dog reacting to the loud sonic boom the plane crash caused
The private jet from Elizabethton, Tennessee flew over restricted air space in Washington DC and came close to the White House and the US Capitol
Dozens of people reported hearing a huge ‘bang’ or ‘explosion’ in DC – that shook the ground and was compared to an earthquake
Annapolis Office of Emergency Management said the loud sound was caused by an authorized Department of Defense flight
‘During this event, the NORAD aircraft also used flares – which may have been visible to the public – in an attempt to draw attention from the pilot,’ the statement said.
‘Flares are employed with highest regard for safety of the intercepted aircraft and people on the ground. Flares burn out quickly and completely and there is no danger to the people on the ground when dispensed.’
Virginia State Police said officers were notified of the potential crash shortly before 4 p.m. Police were still working to find the plane on Sunday evening but hadn´t been able to locate the crash site, police spokesperson Corinne Geller said.
But the announcement only came after multiple agencies received an onslaught of calls about the noise, which was heard as far as away as Annapolis, Maryland.
The loud sound frightened some social media users who said it shook their homes.
Now, some residents of DC, Maryland and Virginia are upset there was no warning about the sonic boom.
‘If that was really a sonic boom that was just felt across Maryland and Virginia the government has some serious explaining to do and a pilot needs dishonorably discharged immediately,’ Matt Cox wrote.
‘It was loud enough to shake my f****** coffee table. Thank God there isn’t an infant in the house.’
President Joe Biden was out golfing at the time of the sonic boom at Andrews Air Force Base
The president was joined on his golf outing by his brother, Jimmy Biden
Social media users reported hearing a huge ‘bang’ in the city, with some saying it shook their homes
Some online said they were afraid to go outside in the aftermath, while others said whatever the source of the noise was it can’t be good.
It rattled many people in the Washington area who took to Twitter to report hearing a loud noise that shook the ground and walls. Several residents said they heard the noise as far away as northern Virginia and Maryland.
‘There was an explosion in Washington DC a couple of minutes ago. It seems to have been heard in a large area of the city,’ Hussein Ibish tweeted. ‘I have no idea what happened, but it’s not good.’
Erica Petacchi added that she had just gotten out of her car when she heard the noise and ‘felt something.
‘It’s like nothing I’ve experienced before,’ she tweeted. ‘I thought it was a large gas explosion nearby.’
Eventually, though, the City of Annapolis Office of Emergency Management announced that the noise was simply the result of a sonic boom.
‘The loud boom that was heard across the DMV area was caused by an authorized DOD flight,’ it said. ‘This flight caused a sonic boom.’
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating the plane crash.
A White House official said: ‘The President was briefed on the incident. The sound resulting from the authorized DOD aircraft was faint at JBA.’
The Pentagon and the D.C. Air National Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday.
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