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A turboprop plane flying from New York to Florida has crashed off the coast of Jamaica after the pilot, seen slumped over the controls, did not respond to radio calls for more than four hours.
Conflicting reports say two or three people were on board the plane, which left Rochester, New York, this morning bound for Naples, Florida.
The aircraft stopped responding to radio calls at 10 a.m. ET, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration and continued to fly until it crashed off the coast of Jamaica about this afternoon.
The U.S. Air Force dispatched two F-15 jets to shadow the plane until it entered Cuban airspace, according to a NORAD spokeswoman.
The fighter jets were initially supposed to fly around Cuba’s eastern end and wait in international airspace to pick up the trail, officials said. But the planes instead returned to base to refuel.
Fog was observed on the aircraft’s windows and the pilot was slumped over the controls, according to NORAD, which suggests those aboard were unconscious as the plane continued to fly.
The FAA reported the plane to be a Socata TBM-700, while FlightAware said it believes the aircraft is a TBM-900.
A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 will look for the plane’s wreckage, an official said.
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