Accidents
Cessna Citation V Drew F-16 Scramble before Crash
A Citation V made a 180-degree turn from its intended destination and flew for 50 minutes with a non-responsive pilot before crashing.
FlightAware captured the flight path of the Citation V that crashed on June 4. (Image: FlightAware)
FlightAware captured the flight path of the Citation V that crashed on June 4. (Image: FlightAware)

The National Transportation Safety Board has begun investigating the June 4 crash of Cessna 560 Citation V that had drawn the attention of national security agencies when it flew through secured airspace with a nonresponsive pilot. All four aboard the aircraft, N611VG, were killed when it spiraled to the ground at 3:25 p.m. local time near Staunton, Virginia, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley between the Blue Ridge mountains and the Alleghenies.

A 1990 model, the aircraft had been registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, Florida, and the owner, John Rumpel, had told The New York Times and Washington Post that his daughter, two-year-old granddaughter, her nanny, and a pilot were aboard. Rumpel had added that his family was returning home to East Hampton after a visit with him.

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