PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Officials are investigating an unresponsive aircraft currently flying over the Atlantic Ocean.
The Socata TBM-700 light business and utility aircraft departed Rochester, N.Y. with a flight plan filed to land in Naples. However the plane’s occupants did not respond to attempts to communicate.
The plane entered, and exited Cuban airspace before heading towards Jamaica, changing direction and losing altitude suddenly.
According to FlightAware’s raw data, after flying at a constant speed and direction, the plane started to slowly descend and slow down. Two minutes later, the direction of the plane had changed from south, to southeast, and then southwest. However, at 2:11pm, it went back up to 25,000 feet, which was where it was cruising for hours. Shortly later the plane crashed on the island of Jamaica.
The FAA will be investigating the incident and the crash.
More information will be made available as it emerges.
As one of NORAD’s critical airspace security partners, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides air traffic services for NORAD to safely and effectively perform its mission and to minimize the impacts on normal air traffic operations.