Small aircraft crashes in southwest Virginia

US fighter jets scrambled Sunday in response to an aircraft that ultimately crashed in southwest Virginia, according to a US official.

It's not clear if the aircraft violated restricted airspace near Washington, DC, or if there was an emergency on board.

The US military aircraft caused a sonic boom heard across the Washington region.

CNN reported earlier that a Cessna Citation crashed in southwest Virginia Sunday afternoon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The aircraft, a Cessna Citation, took off from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and was bound for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York.

The plane crashed into a mountainous terrain in a "sparsely populated area", according to FAA.

A loud boom was heard across the Washington DC metropolitan and surrounding area, according to several government agencies.