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Mystery Health Issue Explored As Cause of Plane Crash That Killed Trump Donors' Family, Scrambled F-16s

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As investigators continue to comb through the wreckage of a private plane that crashed Sunday in Virginia, the theory that is emerging is that the pilot and the three passengers on board the aircraft died of hypoxia.

CNN reported Tuesday that just 15 minutes after the plane took off from Elizabethton, Tennessee, en route to Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York, the flight control officials lost contact with the Cessna Citation jet.

The loss of communications occurred when the plane was at 31,000 feet.

The jet continued up to 34,000 feet and then flew past its destination of MacArthur Airport, then turned and started heading back south toward Washington, D.C.

The Cessna was believed to be on autopilot.

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Six F-16 were launched from three bases to intercept the plane, White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told reporters Monday.

The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, said that an F-16 pilot told investigators that he saw the Cessna pilot, identified as Jeff Hefner, slumped over his seat in the cockpit.

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The F-16 pilot encountered the Cessna about 12 minutes before it crashed in the mountains near Waynesboro, Virginia.

“Whatever happened, happened at altitude, which is a critical location to lose pressurization. The higher up in altitude you are, the less time you have to get on oxygen,” former Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board investigator Jeff Guzzetti told the Post.

Pilots have “30 to 60 seconds to don oxygen masks if the plane is depressurized or risk falling unconscious” due to hypoxia, according to CNN.

“The onset of symptoms is so subtle that it’s hard for a person to tell when it is happening to them. They might begin breathing at an increased rate, feel dizzy, lose coordination and experience impaired judgment,” the news outlet said.

“When a brain goes without oxygen for too long, the part of the brain that helps with respiration can stop working and prevent a person from breathing.”

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Investigators are looking for the “black boxes” containing flight data, though the Cessna private plane was not required to have them.

Using information from the cockpit recorder, NTSB concluded a 1999 plane crash that killed professional golfer Payne Stewart was likely caused by hypoxia.

Guzzetti told The Post that the NTSB will be seeking to determine what caused the cabin to depressurize on the Cessna on Sunday and why Hefner was not able to put on his oxygen mask before going unconscious.

The plane was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, Florida.

In addition to Hefner, company owner John Rumpel said those who died on the airplane included his daughter Adina Azarian, his 2-year-old granddaughter, Aria, and the child’s nanny.

Rumpel is a prominent contributor to Republican candidates and causes, including former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Mitt Romney, and numerous state Republican parties, according to Open Secrets.

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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