Virginia Plane Crash Investigators Ask When Pilot Became Unresponsive and Why Aircraft Flew Its Path

Authorities secure the entrance to Mine Bank Trail, an access point to the rescue operation along the Blue Ridge Parkway where a Cessna Citation crashed over mountainous terrain near Montebello, Va., on June 4, 2023. Randall K. Wolf via AP

WASHINGTON—Federal investigators trudged through rugged terrain Monday in search of wreckage from a business jet to solve the mystery of why the plane veered off course and slammed into a mountain, killing four people.

The plane’s owner told news outlets that his daughter and 2-year-old granddaughter were aboard.