“The pilot was unresponsive andthe Cessna subsequently crashed near the George Washington National Forest, Virginia,” the release said. “NORAD attempted to establish contact with the pilot until the aircraft crashed.”
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/06/05/us/virginia-plane-crash-fighter-jets-investigation-monday/index.html
Another source told CNN that crash investigators are most interested in hypoxia – a shortage of oxygen in the blood – as a reason why the pilot and passengers didn’t respond to attempts by air traffic controllers and even other civilian aircraft to contact the ill-fated plane.
Also key to investigators, a source familiar with the investigation says, is the function of the plane’s autopilot.The flight turned around and kept flying for more than 300 miles before crashing in rural Virginia.
Near the rugged scene Monday, National Transportation Safety Board investigator in charge Adam Gerhardt told reporters the agency’s probe will ask: “When exactly did the pilot become unresponsive? And why did the airplane fly the flight track that it did fly?”
The Cessna left a “crater” in the ground, no survivors and few clues as to why it went down, officials said Monday.
Four first responders, who spoke on the condition they were not identified, described a grisly scene at the crash site.
There were perhaps four recognizable pieces of wreckage from the plane, which they believe impacted the ground at a very steep angle, they said. “There was nothing really bigger than your arm,” said one.