NIGHT, GETTING IT DONE ON THE ROAD. ROAD. >> WE'RE GOING TO GET RIGHT TO >> WE'RE GOING TO GET RIGHT TO THE NEWS. THE NEWS. FIGHTER JETS SCRAMBLED WHEN A FIGHTER JETS SCRAMBLED WHEN A PLANE FLEW THROUGH RESTRICTED PLANE FLEW THROUGH RESTRICTED AIR SPACE. AIR SPACE. SONIC BOOM RATTLED THE AREA, SONIC BOOM RATTLED THE AREA, BRIEFLY PUT THE WHITE HOUSE AND BRIEFLY PUT THE WHITE HOUSE AND CAPITOL ON ALERT. CAPITOL ON ALERT. MARTHA RADDATZ IS IN WASHINGTON MARTHA RADDATZ IS IN WASHINGTON WITH THE LATEST. WITH THE LATEST. >>> IT WAS AN UNSETTLING, >>> IT WAS AN UNSETTLING, FRIGHTENING MOMENT FOR THOUSANDS FRIGHTENING MOMENT FOR THOUSANDS HERE IN WASHINGTON, HEARING THAT HERE IN WASHINGTON, HEARING THAT VERY LOUD BOOM, WITH FIGHTER VERY LOUD BOOM, WITH FIGHTER JETS SCRAMBLING INTO THE SKIES JETS SCRAMBLING INTO THE SKIES BEFORE A TRAGIC ENDING. BEFORE A TRAGIC ENDING. A SONIC BOOM HEARD ACROSS THE A SONIC BOOM HEARD ACROSS THE NATION'S CAPITAL AND NATION'S CAPITAL AND NEIGHBORHOODS BEYOND. NEIGHBORHOODS BEYOND. RATTLING HOMES AND RATTLING RATTLING HOMES AND RATTLING NERVES. NERVES. >> IT WAS VERY JARRING. >> IT WAS VERY JARRING. >> WE THOUGHT IT WAS PROBABLY AN >> WE THOUGHT IT WAS PROBABLY AN EARTHQUAKE. EARTHQUAKE. >> Reporter: THE CITY ON ALERT >> Reporter: THE CITY ON ALERT AS A SMALL CIVILIAN JET FLEW AS A SMALL CIVILIAN JET FLEW THROUGH RESTRICTED AIR SPACE. THROUGH RESTRICTED AIR SPACE. THE PILOT FAILING TO RESPOND TO THE PILOT FAILING TO RESPOND TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL. THE U.S. MILITARY QUICKLY THE U.S. MILITARY QUICKLY LAUNCHING SIX F-16 FIGHTER JETS LAUNCHING SIX F-16 FIGHTER JETS FROM THREE BASES TO TRACK THE FROM THREE BASES TO TRACK THE PLANE AS IT HEADED SOUTH INTO PLANE AS IT HEADED SOUTH INTO VIRGINIA. VIRGINIA. THE TWO F-16'S OVER WASHINGTON THE TWO F-16'S OVER WASHINGTON REACHING SUPERSONIC SPEED TO REACHING SUPERSONIC SPEED TO CATCH UP WITH THE CESSNA JET, CATCH UP WITH THE CESSNA JET, CREATING THAT SONIC BOOM THAT CREATING THAT SONIC BOOM THAT REVERBERATED ACROSS THE REGION. REVERBERATED ACROSS THE REGION. WITHIN MINUTES THE CESSNA JET WITHIN MINUTES THE CESSNA JET WAS SPOTTED OVER A REMOTE AREA WAS SPOTTED OVER A REMOTE AREA IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. THE PILOT STILL UNRESPONSIVE. THE PILOT STILL UNRESPONSIVE. THE FIGHTER JETS FIRING FLARES THE FIGHTER JETS FIRING FLARES TO TRY TO ALERT THE CIVILIAN TO TRY TO ALERT THE CIVILIAN PILOT, BUT TO NO AVAIL. PILOT, BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE PILOT APPEARING TO BE PASSED THE PILOT APPEARING TO BE PASSED OUT. OUT. THE PLANE LIKELY OUT OF FUEL, THE PLANE LIKELY OUT OF FUEL, TAKING A DIVE AND CRASHING TEN TAKING A DIVE AND CRASHING TEN MINUTES AFTER THE FIGHTER JETS MINUTES AFTER THE FIGHTER JETS INTERCEPTED IT. INTERCEPTED IT. SOME AVIATION EXPERTS SOME AVIATION EXPERTS SPECULATING HYPOXIA, THE LACK OF SPECULATING HYPOXIA, THE LACK OF OXYGEN, MAY HAVE INCAPACITATED OXYGEN, MAY HAVE INCAPACITATED THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS. THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS. >> TOTAL OF FOUR PASSENGERS. >> TOTAL OF FOUR PASSENGERS. >> Reporter: ACCORDING TO THE >> Reporter: ACCORDING TO THE FAA, THE CESSNA JET WITH THOSE FAA, THE CESSNA JET WITH THOSE FOUR ON BOARD TOOK OFF FROM AN FOUR ON BOARD TOOK OFF FROM AN AIRPORT IN NORTHEAST TENNESSEE AIRPORT IN NORTHEAST TENNESSEE BOUND FOR MCARTHUR AIRPORT ON BOUND FOR MCARTHUR AIRPORT ON NEW YORK'S LONG ISLAND. NEW YORK'S LONG ISLAND. THE FLIGHT PATH SHOWING THE THE FLIGHT PATH SHOWING THE PLANE REACHING LONG ISLAND, BUT PLANE REACHING LONG ISLAND, BUT INSTEAD OF LANDING, TURNING INSTEAD OF LANDING, TURNING AROUND LIKELY ON AUTO PILOT, AROUND LIKELY ON AUTO PILOT, HEADING SOUTH BEFORE CRASHING IN HEADING SOUTH BEFORE CRASHING IN VIRGINIA. VIRGINIA. THE NEW YORK TIMES SPOKE WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES SPOKE WITH THE MAN WHO RUNS THE COMPANY THE MAN WHO RUNS THE COMPANY THAT OWNS THE CIVILIAN JET. THAT OWNS THE CIVILIAN JET. HE SAID TRAGICALLY THAT IN HE SAID TRAGICALLY THAT IN ADDITION TO THE PILOT, HIS ADDITION TO THE PILOT, HIS DAUGHTER, HIS 2-YEAR-OLD GRAND DAUGHTER, HIS 2-YEAR-OLD GRAND DAUGHTER AND HER NANNY WERE DAUGHTER AND HER NANNY WERE ABOARD THE PLANE. ABOARD THE PLANE. GEORGE? GEORGE? >> OKAY, MARTHA, THANKS. >> OKAY, MARTHA, THANKS. LET'S BRING IN OUR AVIATION LET'S BRING IN OUR AVIATION EXPERT. EXPERT. START OUT BY TELLING WHAT THE START OUT BY TELLING WHAT THE STANDARD IS FOR SCRAMBLING THESE STANDARD IS FOR SCRAMBLING THESE FIGHTER JETS. FIGHTER JETS. >> THE ACTUAL STANDARDS ARE >> THE ACTUAL STANDARDS ARE CLASSIFIED BUT THERE IS A GOOD CLASSIFIED BUT THERE IS A GOOD BIT OF JUDGMENT INVOLVED. BIT OF JUDGMENT INVOLVED. REMEMBER OUT IN COLORADO SPRINGS REMEMBER OUT IN COLORADO SPRINGS HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE U.S. HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE U.S. AND CANADA. AND CANADA. IT'S NOT UNUSUAL TO LOSE IT'S NOT UNUSUAL TO LOSE COMMUNICATION WITH VARIOUS COMMUNICATION WITH VARIOUS FLIGHTS AROUND THE PERIMETER OF FLIGHTS AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE U.S. AND CANADA. THE U.S. AND CANADA. SO THEY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, SO THEY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, WHAT IS THE INTENT? WHAT IS THE INTENT? IN THIS CASE THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT IN THIS CASE THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT 34,000 FEET. 34,000 FEET. IT STAYED AT 34,000 FEET AND IT IT STAYED AT 34,000 FEET AND IT STAYED ON A CONSTANT HEADING. STAYED ON A CONSTANT HEADING. IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE IT WAS A BIG IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE IT WAS A BIG THREAT. THREAT. THEY DID PUT THE CAPITOL AND THEY DID PUT THE CAPITOL AND WHITE HOUSE ON ALERT. WHITE HOUSE ON ALERT. BUT THEY DIDN'T SHOOT IT DOWN, BUT THEY DIDN'T SHOOT IT DOWN, PRECISELY BECAUSE THEY SAW THAT PRECISELY BECAUSE THEY SAW THAT IT WAS NOT GOING TO BE A THREAT IT WAS NOT GOING TO BE A THREAT TO THE CAPITOL. TO THE CAPITOL. >> IT APPEARS EVERYBODY ON BOARD >> IT APPEARS EVERYBODY ON BOARD MAY HAVE BEEN ON BOARD BECAUSE MAY HAVE BEEN ON BOARD BECAUSE OF THIS HYPOXIA. OF THIS HYPOXIA. WHAT CAUSES IT? WHAT CAUSES IT? >> YOU KNOW WHEN YOU TAKE OFF, >> YOU KNOW WHEN YOU TAKE OFF, YOU HEAR YOUR EARS POP. YOU HEAR YOUR EARS POP. IT COMPRESSES THE AIR IN THE IT COMPRESSES THE AIR IN THE CABIN TO MAKE SURE THERE'S CABIN TO MAKE SURE THERE'S ENOUGH OXYGEN SO YOU CAN SURVIVE ENOUGH OXYGEN SO YOU CAN SURVIVE AND GO ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS AND GO ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS NORMALLY ON AN AIRPLANE. NORMALLY ON AN AIRPLANE. SOMETIMES THAT PRESSURIZATION SOMETIMES THAT PRESSURIZATION MAY FAIL. MAY FAIL. IT CAN FAIL SLOWLY, LIKE IT IT CAN FAIL SLOWLY, LIKE IT COULD FAIL TO PRESSURIZE ON THE COULD FAIL TO PRESSURIZE ON THE CLIMB OR IT CAN BE CATASTROPHIC. CLIMB OR IT CAN BE CATASTROPHIC. IT WAS PROBABLY CAUSED BY A LOSS IT WAS PROBABLY CAUSED BY A LOSS OF PRESSURIZATION IN THIS OF PRESSURIZATION IN THIS 33-YEAR-OLD AIRPLANE. 33-YEAR-OLD AIRPLANE. >> THERE WAS NO WAY TO MAKE THE >> THERE WAS NO WAY TO MAKE THE LANDING. LANDING. >> NO. >> NO. ANY TIME THE F-16'S ARE ANY TIME THE F-16'S ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR AIR DEFENSE, RESPONSIBLE FOR AIR DEFENSE, THEY'LL TAKE A LOOK