As fighter jets attempted to scramble an unresponsive private jet, a sonic boom was heard all over Washington DC.

“We are aware of reports from communities throughout the National Capital Region of a loud ‘boom’ this afternoon,” DC Homeland Security & Emergency Management tweeted on Sunday afternoon after residents took to social media to share their experience of the sonic boom.

The agency added that “there is no threat at this time”.

Panicked residents of Washington DC took to Twitter after a sonic boom was heard over the capital region on Sunday afternoon.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the flight of private jet began when the Cessna took off from Tennessee to Long Island, New York.

It had flown at an altitude of 34,000 and reached Long Island but did not land, instead heading back toward the DC area.

Flight data shows the jet flew directly over the centre of Washington DC, entering and passing through the city’s restricted airspace.

It reportedly overshot its destination by 315 miles before crashing in the Virginia wilderness.

The US Capitol Police said on Sunday that the Capitol complex was placed on an “elevated alert” when the private jet flew over Washington DC’s airspace.

US Capitol Police said in a statement issued yesterday: “This afternoon, our officials were working closely with our federal partners to monitor an unresponsive pilot who was flying an airplane near the National Capital Region. The US Capitol Complex was briefly placed on an elevated alert until the airplane left the area.”

The US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said that the incident “had no impact on Secret Service”.

Joe Biden was playing golf at the Andrews Air Force Base golf course near Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. He was briefed about the incident later.

An aviation expert has suggested that hypoxia may have incapacitated the pilot of the Cessna Citation which led to the crash.

Steve Ganyard told ABC News that hypoxia “occurs when there is not enough oxygen in the cabin.” He believes the Sunday crash may be another example of hypoxia incapacitating those aboard the Cessna.

“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,” Mr Ganyard said.

Meanwhile, it was reported that the pilot overshot the planned destination by 315 miles before crashing in the George Washington National Forest in Virginia.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the Cessna crash, it was reported.

The Department of Defence scrambled fighter jets to intercept a private jet that entered Washington DC airspace and later crashed into mountainous terrain in southwest Virginia, officials said.

The F-16s caused a sonic boom that shook houses across the US Capital at around 3pm as they took off from Andrews Air Force Base in high speed pursuit of the Cessna Citation, a US official told Reuters.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told The Independent the aircraft had taken off from Tennessee bound for New York but had crashed into a sparsely populated area near Staunton, about 150 miles southwest of DC.

There was no immediate word on whether there were any casualties, or how many people were on board the Cessna, which can seat up to 12 passengers.

Read the full story by Bevan Hurley here:

The pilot of the Cessna Citation private jet overshot its planned destination by 315 miles before crashing into the mountains of Virginia, sources familiar with the matter were quoted as saying by CNN.

Four people were reportedly on the private plane.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the flight began when the Cessna took off from Tennessee to Long Island, New York.

It had flown at an altitude of 34,000 and reached Long Island, but it appears not to have landed, instead heading back toward the DC area.

Meanwhile, Virginia State Police has said that no survivors were located at the crash site.

Authorities were notified around 3.50pm of a possible crash.

Officials said that the pilot of the Cessna Citation private jet that flew into Washington DC’s airspace was “unresponsive” even as the F-16 jets — authorised to travel at supersonic speeds — used flares “in an attempt to draw attention from the pilot”.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that their jets did not shoot down the plane and that it is normal to call in jets if someone is flying unsafely.

The pilot of the civilian aircraft was unresponsive as the F-16 fighter jets attempted to make contact, Continental US North American Aerospace Defense Command Region said in a statement.

Earlier, a US official told ABC News that the pilot seemed to have “passed out”.

Virginia State Police say they have been unable to locate any survivors at the crash site so far.

A private jet crashed into the mountains in Virginia after being chased by US Department of Defence fighter jets that led to a massive sonic boom over the capital region.

Jets were scrambled to intercept the plane after the pilot appeared to be unresponsive.

It was reported that four people were on board the Cessna small aircraft at the time.

A Florida businessman, John Rumpel, has said that his “entire family” was on the jet.

The Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] said in a statement that the Cessna appeared to have crashed at 3.30pm – around 10 minutes after the F-16s had intercepted it.

John Rumpel, a prominent Florida businessman was quoted as saying by The Washington Post that his “entire family” was on the plane when it crashed.

It was reported that at least four people were on the private jet that was chased by the F-16s causing a loud sonic boom over the Washington DC region.

Mr Rumpel identified himself as the owner of the private Cessna passenger aircraft, according to WaPo.

It said that his daughter, a grandchild and her nanny were on the plane when it crashed over the Virginia mountains.

“We know nothing about the crash,” he said. “We are talking to the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] now. … I’ve got to keep the line clear.”

Meanwhile, Virginia State Police said that they were unable to locate any survivors at the crash site so far.