Washington DC sonic boom: Expert suggests what could have led to fatal plane crash

The pilot of a private jet that caused chaos over Washington DC before crashing likely suffered from hypoxia in the moments before it plummeted to the ground, it has been suggested by an expert.

The US Capitol was briefly put on "elevated" alert after the Cessna Citation entered Washington airspace before crashing into the rocky mountains of Montebello, Virginia.

An Air Force F-16 caused panic after being "cleared supersonic to respond", according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which sparked an enormous sonic boom heard by residents in both states.

NORAD added that the supersonic tactic was used to "draw attention from the pilot" before it crashed.

The daughter and granddaughter of prominent MAGA donor John Rumpel (left, with his wife Barbara, right) were thought to have been on board the doomed plane (Facebook)

Despite an extensive ground search for survivors, none were found.

Retired Marine Col Steve Ganyard believes the pilot may have suffered hypoxia - which happens when cabin oxygen levels are depleted to fatal lows.

He told ABC the incident could be the most recent tragedy after hypoxia was thought to be the culprit in a number of similar crashes in recent years.

Mr Rumpel's daughter Adina Azarian with her daughter (Facebook)

Some experts say the infamous Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 may have crashed after the pilot experienced the same mid-air condition.

Mr Ganyard continued: .“The pressure should keep enough air in the cabin to stay alert and stay awake.

"In this case, it can happen insidiously where you lose consciousness, you begin to feel tingling, you get a sense of euphoria and it very slowly overcomes the people in the cabin."

The plane crashed into a rural part of the rocky Shenandoah Valley (Facebook)

The Cessna Citation, which can cost between $7 and $27 million depending on which model, was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, which is run by prominent MAGA donor John Rumpel.

In the hours after the tragedy, Mr Rumpel has come out to confirm that his daughter and granddaughter were aboard the plane, adding that he hoped they had not suffered during the accident.

Mr Rumpel's family were returning to their home in East Hampton, on Long Island, after visiting his house in North Carolina, he said.

Cops searched the crash site for survivors - but found no one alive (AP)

The prominent MAGA donor, said: “It descended at 20,000 feet a minute, and nobody could survive a crash from that speed.”

The businessman has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to former president Donald Trump and his wife also on the NRA board of directors for 2023 and served on Donald Trump's 2nd Amendment Coalition.

The couple donated $250,000 to the Trump campaign in 2020, reports the Daily Beast.

The granddaughter's nanny, who has not yet been named (Facebook)

One expert believes the pilot became unresponsive after suffering hypoxia, which happens when oxygen levels plummet in an aircraft (Facebook)

Flight tracking sites showed the jet suffered a rapid spiralling descent, dropping at a rate of more than 30,000 feet per minute before crashing.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the Cessna Citation took off from Elizabethtown, Tennessee, on Sunday and was headed for Long Island's MacArthur Airport.