NRA director pays heartbreaking tribute to daughter and granddaughter who died in Cessna crash

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 jet that flew over the nation’s capital on Sunday afternoon.

The flight, which led to the Pentagon having to fly an interceptor fighter jet on Sunday afternoon because the pilot became unresponsive.

The Cessna jet from Elizabethton, Tennessee, came close to both the Capitol and White House around 3:30 p.m., Federal Aviation Administration officials say.

Barbara Rumpel, a businesswoman and member of the NRA Women’s Leadership Form, posted on Facebook on Sunday confirming that her daughter and granddaughter were killed in the crash.

“My family is gone, my daughter and granddaughter,” Rumpel wrote in the comments to a post sharing her presence at an NRA conference.

The crashed aircraft was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc. Rumoel’s husband John, the owner of Encore Motors, claimed his “entire family” was on the plane, including his daughter, grandchild and the child’s nanny.

“We don’t know anything about the crash,” he told the Washington Post. “We are now in talks with the FAA. I have to keep the line clear.’

The Rumpels are large-scale donors to conservative political candidates, including former President Donald Trump, who have given a total of $250,000 to a PAC supporting Trump’s 2020 campaign.

They also donated to senate candidate Herschel Walker and congressional candidate Laura Loomer.

Barbara Rumpel also co-chaired the Second Amendment Coalition for Trump-Pence in 2016. She has served on the NRA’s Women’s Leadership Council since 2002 and served on the organization’s executive committee for more than six years.

The Virginia State Police confirmed to DailyMail.com on Sunday evening through a spokeswoman that there were no survivors.

The plane was bound for Long Island, New York, but once it reached its destination, it turned around and headed back to Washington DC, flight paths show. This is reported by a source familiar with the situation Reuters it seemed to be on autopilot at the time.

It has since been confirmed that there were four people on board at the time. CNN said.

US military officials sent fighter jets from Andrews Air Force Base, where President Joe Biden was golfing at the time, to chase down the Cessna Citation, which can only carry about 12 passengers.

Flight tracking sites showed the jet experienced a rapid spiral descent, descending at more than 30,000 feet per minute at one point before crashing into 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 plane eventually crashed in the mountainous regions of Virginia, though military officials deny that the chase 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.

“During this event, the NORAD aircraft also used flares — which may have been visible to the public — in an attempt to attract the pilot’s attention,” the statement said.

Flares are used with the utmost respect for the safety of intercepted aircraft and people on the ground. Flares burn out quickly and completely and there is no danger to people on the ground when they are released.’

Virginia State Police said officers were notified of the possible crash shortly before 4 p.m. Police were still trying to find the plane on Sunday evening but had been unable to locate the crash site, police spokesman Corinne Geller said.

But the announcement came after multiple agencies received a deluge of calls about the noise, which could be heard as far away as Annapolis, Maryland.

The loud noise scared some social media users, who said it shook their homes.

Now some residents of DC, Maryland and Virginia are angry that there was no warning of the sonic boom.

“If that really was a sonic boom just felt in Maryland and Virginia, then the government has something serious to explain and a pilot should be immediately dishonorably discharged,” Matt Cox wrote.

“It was loud enough to shake my f****** coffee table. Thank God there’s no baby in the house.’

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 right.

It shocked 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 sound as far north as Virginia and Maryland.

“There was an explosion in Washington DC a few minutes ago. It seems to have been heard in much 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 big gas explosion nearby.”

Ultimately, however, the City of Annapolis Office of Emergency Management announced that the sound was simply the result of a sonic boom.

“The loud boom heard throughout the DMV area was caused by an authorized DOD flight,” it said. “This flight caused a sonic boom.”

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating the plane crash.

A White House official said: “The president has been briefed on the incident. The sound emanating from the authorized DOD aircraft was faint at JBA.”

The Pentagon and DC Air National Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday.