Unresponsive US Aircraft Crashes Off Jamaica
The aircraft piloted by a New York real estate developer flew for four hours after air traffic controllers lost contact.
The unresponsive aircraft flew over Cuban airspace. Pic: FlightAware.com
By Sky News US Team
An unresponsive aircraft that was tracked by US fighter jets over the Atlantic Ocean has crashed off Jamaica.
North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) scrambled two F-15s to intercept the flight bound for Naples, Florida, from Rochester, New York, after air traffic controllers lost contact with the pilot.
The jets were forced to break off as the unresponsive aircraft, a Socata TBM-700, continued south from Florida over Cuban airspace.
The aircraft was last tracked nearing Jamaica before local military officials confirmed it had crashed into the ocean about 14 miles (22 km) northeast of Port Antonio.
"We can confirm that the plane has gone down," said Major Basil Jarrett of the Jamaican Defence Force.
New York real estate developer Larry Glazer and his wife Jane were on board the turboprop plane, the couple's son, Rick Glazer told the AP news agency.
He could not confirm whether his parents were killed in the crash, saying "we know so little".
According to flight tracker FlightAware.com, Mr Glazer's plane took off from Greater Rochester International Airport at about 8.25am.
Air traffic controllers made their last contact with the pilot at about 10am, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The aircraft continued heading south for another four hours before it crashed, likely due to loss of fuel after a journey of more than 1,700 miles (2,735 km).
The US Coast Guard responded to the area where the plane went down, Norad said in a statement.
The incident marked the second time in less than a week that a private pilot became unresponsive during a flight.
On Saturday, a pilot lost consciousness and his plane drifted into restricted airspace over Washington DC. Fighter jets were launched and stayed with the small aircraft until it ran out of fuel and crashed into the Atlantic.
Norad referred to the latest incident as a "possible hypoxia", meaning a loss of oxygen inside the plane.
US media reports indicated that the F-15 pilots reported seeing two people slumped over inside the cockpit, and that the aircraft's windows were frosted, which could be caused by the loss of oxygen.
Larry Glazer owned the development firm Buckingham Properties. The experienced pilot also served as president of the TBM Owners and Pilots Association.
