Horror photos of John Rumpel Cessna crash site revealed after megadonor’s family dies in jet tragedy

PHOTOS show the heartbreaking site where a private plane owned by a Republican megadonor crashed, killing everyone onboard.

A crater was left in the ground in remote Virginia after businessman John Rumpel's plane veered off-course and slammed into a mountain, killing his daughter, granddaughter, and two others.

Four first responders who arrived at the scene of the fatal crash near Raphine on Sunday had to tackle rugged terrain and a "grisly scene," CNN reported.

The wreck left a crater after the plane smashed into the ground at a very steep angle.

Aside from finding signs of human remains, there were "perhaps four recognizable pieces of wreckage from the plane," one rescue worker said.

One responder said of the debris: “There was nothing really bigger than your arm."

The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot and three passengers were killed and that the plane was destroyed in the crash.

The Cessna was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, Florida, owned by John and Barbara Rumpel.

John confirmed his daughter, two-year-old granddaughter, her nanny, and a pilot were aboard the plane.

They were returning to their home in East Hampton, on Long Island, after visiting his house in North Carolina, he said.

Mystery remains as to why the plane crashed.

While Rumpel said that he did not have much initial information from authorities, he suggested the plane could have lost pressurization.

Depressurization of the aircraft can cause a rapid loss of consciousness at altitudes above 10,000 feet.

The Cessna descended at 20,000 feet a minute, and nobody could survive a crash from that speed, Rumpel said.

The FAA said the Cessna Citation took off from Elizabethton, Tennessee and was headed for Long Island's MacArthur Airport.

Flight tracking data show the jet flew past its destination before it inexplicably turned around, flying over Washington, D.C.

The plane flew a straight path down over Washington, D.C., before it crashed at about 3.30pm.

According to the Pentagon, six F-16 fighter jets were immediately deployed to intercept the plane. A sonic boom caused by the military aircraft was heard across DC and parts of Maryland and Virginia.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command said flares were released to try to draw the attention of the pilot.

But there was no response and the plane eventually crashed near the George Washington National Forest.

Virginia State Police said that officers were notified shortly before 4pm and rescuers reached the crash site by foot around four hours later.

"No survivors were located," police said.

In an update on Monday, federal authorities said that it will take safety officials several days to collect and sort through the highly fragmented wreckage in the mountainous area.

Investigators will look at when the pilot became unresponsive and why the aircraft flew the path that it did, said National Transportation Safety Board investigator Adam Gerhardt.

They will examine the plane's engines, weather conditions, pilot qualifications, and maintenance records, he said.

The Rumpels have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the former president, including a $250,000 donation to the Trump Victory PAC in 2020.

Additionally, Barbara Rumpel made donations to several other Republican candidates including Herschel Walker.

The tragedy comes after the Rumpels lost their 19-year-old daughter, Victoria, in a 1994 scuba-diving accident.

In response to condolence messages on her Facebook page, Barbara wrote on the platform on Sunday night: "My family is gone, my daughter and granddaughter."