added later after crash: It turns out it was a Socata TBM 700Here is a picture of one.
On Cnn the unresponsive U.S. jet heading towards Cuba, it left Rochester, New York with U.S. fighter jets following it because it was supposed to land in Naples, Florida. hypoxia from flying up to 25,000 feet is suspected. The pilot and passengers likely are unconscious.
So, it is unknown whether it will crash into Cuba or the other side of Cuba and when it will run out of fuel or crash. This is the second such incident like this in the past few weeks where a plane crashed like this. (This one hasn't crashed yet).
They have flown 6 to 7 hours and is a single engine turboprop out of Rochester, New York.
U.S. F-15s have now broken off with the aircraft because it is in Cuban Air Space.
Cuban fighter jet is now trailing the aircraft through Cuban Air Space.
This brings up an issue of what to do when pilot's are not in control of their aircraft? This is a very sensitive issue. There are issues because there are situations where small unresponsive aircraft will be shot down.
There is a possibility of Cuban fighter jet blowing this small plane out of the sky. Our F-15s were armed too in case it needed to be shot down too.
U.S. military was in touch with Cuban military through a Coast Guard Channel. So, all useful information regarding air safety was passed on to Cuban Authorities.
The plane is a Sabre Flight Explorer
There are serious ramifications regarding this flight and an international incident between the U.S. and Cuba.
However, for me the strangest thing about this is there is not a single image of a "Sabre Flight Explorer" plane at Google Images?
As of now the plane is flying somewhat south of Cuba.
It is expected to run out of fuel at any moment. There are at least 2 pilots on board who took off in Rochester, New York 6 or 7 hours ago.
So, likely it will now crash into the ocean.
It was supposed to land at 2 pm eastern time this afternoon.
Where I am it is presently 11:06 pacific time AM
This is a 7 seater single engine turboprop registered to a real estate developer from Rochester, New York.
U.S. F-15s are circumnavigating around Cuba and are again joining this U.S. based aircraft. But, most people seem to think it is going to crash soon when it runs out of fuel.
The pilot of the plane appears to be unconscious and slumped over the wheel with the windows frosted which is an indication of oxygen cabin pressure loss and of pilot hypoxia.
The plane now apparently has crashed at a slow speed of 176 mph either into the ocean or into Jamaica.
| USA TODAY | - |
A
plane belonging to a New York state developer with three people aboard
has crashed in the ocean north of Jamaica after flying unresponsive for
hours and being escorted by U.S.
A plane belonging to a New York state developer with three people aboard has crashed in the ocean north of Jamaica after flying unresponsive for hours and being escorted by U.S. fighter jets, according to federal officials.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled two F-15 fighter jets at 11:30 a.m. to intercept the Socata TBM-900 headed from Rochester, N.Y., to Naples, Fla.
Military pilots weren't able to communicate with the plane's occupants, but saw that the plane's windows were frosted, according to Army Maj. Beth Smith, a NORAD spokeswoman.
The single-engine turbo-prop is registered to Rochester developer Larry Glazer. Attempts to reach Glazer, who has development projects in Naples, on his cellphone were unsuccessful. A voicemail left on his phone was not immediately returned
Joseph Rowley Jr., director of leasing and marketing at Buckingham Properties, which is owned by Glazer, declined to comment. The company closed early Friday.
Moments later, a voice recording at QCI said the company was closed.
The plane took off at 8:26 a.m. and was scheduled to land in Naples about noon, according to FlightAware.com, a flight-tracking service. As the plane entered Cuban airspace, the U.S. jets broke off their pursuit, according to NORAD.
The military routinely responds to unknown aviation activity, with heightened security after the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001. But the incidents are often accidents rather than terrorist incidents.
Two F-16 fighter jets followed a general-aviation plane Monday that had taken off from Waukesha Airport in Wisconsin and was on its way to Manassas Airport in Virginia, before it crashed in the Atlantic.
Plane occupants occasionally die of hypoxia for lack of oxygen at higher altitudes.
A prominent example was golfer Payne Stewart, who died in October 1999 as a passenger in a Learjet that lost cabin pressure on a flight from Florida to Texas. Tracked by an F-16, the jet coasted for hours until crashing in South Dakota.
Contributing: Andreatta also reports for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
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