Plane Bound for Manassas Crashes Into Atlantic

A single-engine Cessna flew past its destination in Manassas and into restricted air space in D.C. before crashing in the Atlantic, according to The U.S. Coast Guard.

The Guard responded to the plane crash Saturday, 51 miles southeast of Chincoteague Island. But not before two F-16s were dispatched when the plane flew in the vicinity of Washington D.C.

“Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 5th District in Portsmouth received notification at approximately 2:40 p.m. that a single-engine Cessna aircraft with only the pilot aboard failed to land at Manassas Regional Airport as scheduled,” according to the Coast Guard release.

The F-16 pilots sent to investigate came alongside the Cessna and observed the pilot was unconscious in the cockpit. They escorted the Cessna until it crashed into the ocean.

The Federal Aviation Administration tells The Washington Post that the pilot of the Cirrus SR22 departed from Waukesha County Airport in Wisconsin. The pilot had not been responding to radio calls for more than two hours before the plane crashed at 3:17 p.m., according to the Post.