Encore motors owner John Rumpel's family has been plagued by tragedy from scuba death to Cessna plan
THE tragic family past of businessman and prominent Donald Trump donor John Rumpel has been revealed after he lost his daughter and granddaughter in a plane crash on Sunday.
A Cessna Citation, owned by Rumpel's Florida-based company Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc., crashed in Virginia after the pilot reportedly lost consciousness with no survivors found.
Rumpel's adult daughter, Adina Azarian, 49, his two-year-old granddaughter Aria, and their nanny were all killed in the crash.
Rumpel, 75, and his wife Barbara also lost their 19-year-old daughter Victoria in 1994 during a scuba diving accident.
Following Victoria's death, the Rumpels bought an 11-story building in Melbourne, Florida, which they named Victoria Landing.
The assisted living center is a tribute to their late daughter.
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“John honors the memory of his daughter with the Victoria Landing name. With that honor comes the responsibility to make Victoria Landing the very best it can be…in commemoration of Victoria and in celebration of everything life can and should be,” according to its website.
On Sunday shortly after 3pm, the Rumpels would suffer the loss of two other close family members.
The Cessna Citation plane, which departed from Tennessee, was headed to Long Island, New York.
However, instead of landing in East Hampton, the plane looped back toward Washington, D.C.
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Air National Guard F-16 jets were racing to catch the Cessna that violated airspace in the DC area when they caused a sonic boom.
US Capitol Police later released a statement regarding the incident.
"The NORAD aircraft were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region," the statement said.
Capitol Police added that the NORAD - short for North American Aerospace Defense Command - aircraft also used flares as it tried to get the Cessna pilot's attention.
The Cessna then crashed near Montebello, Virginia, about 122 miles northeast of Richmond.
NORAD's Continental US Region said "the pilot was unresponsive" before the plane crashed.
The Rumpels have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to former President Donald Trump, The Daily Beast reports.
In 2020, the couple donated $250,000 to the Trump Victory PAC.
Additionally, Barbara Rumpel made donations to several other Republican candidates including Herschel Walker.
Barbara is a member of the NRA Women's Leadership Forum in Florida.
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She shared a heartbreaking message about her family's involvement in the plane crash.
Barbara wrote on Facebook: "My family is gone, my daughter and granddaughter."
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