"Unresponsive" plane crashes into Gulf of Mexico

Updated 2:50 p.m. ET

(CBS/AP) PENSACOLA, Fla. - A small plane went down in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday about three hours after two F-15 fighter jets tried to make contact with the unresponsive pilot, authorities said. Crews flying over the crash site reported they saw no signs the pilot survived the crash.

Two jets caught up with the Cessna 421C at 8:45 EDT and were flying with it and monitoring it, but hadn't been able to hail the pilot, said North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesman John Cornelio.

The two F-15s from the New Orleans National Guard were already on a mission over the Gulf, Coast Guard Chief John Edwards said in a news release. The Jacksonville Air Traffic Control Center asked the military if jets could check on the plane that was orbiting near one of Eglin Air Force Base's warning areas over the Gulf, Edwards said. Eglin is located on Florida's Panhandle.

The jets' pilots reported that the Cessna's windshield was iced over and that the plane was fluctuating between 25,000 and 35,000 feet.

The Cessna went down at about 12:10 p.m., some 120 miles west of Tampa, Fla., said Petty Officer Elizabeth Boderland with the Coast Guard in New Orleans.

The plane landed softly in the water and was intact, floating right side up, Boderland said. A Coast Guard helicopter was responding and a patrol boat was about 90 miles away. Boderland did not know the condition of the pilot.

"The situation is pretty dynamic right now," Boderland said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the plane was flying from Slidell, La., to Sarasota, Fla. She says one person was on board and that the FAA had been tracking the plane since it lost contact with the pilot at 9 a.m.

The FAA had been in contact with NORAD and the U.S. Coast Guard, which had issued alerts to boats in the area to be on the lookout.

In addition to the Air Force F-15s, ABC News reports the Coast Guard had dispatched an HC-144 ocean sentry airplane from Mobile, Ala. An NH-60 Helicopter had been on standby in Clearwater, Fla. The US Coast Guard Cutter Coho was also reported en route.

Federal Aviation Administration records show that the Cessna was registered to Lee H. Aviation in Wilmington, Del. The address listed on the FAA registry corresponds with that of Delaware Registry Ltd., a company that provides corporate services and registers both airplanes and yachts. A woman who answered the phone at Delaware Registry said the company does not give out information about its clients.

[petesis]

slow leaks apparently don't trigger the alarm until it is too late.

[rwsmith29456]

The service ceiling of the plane is 30,000 feet. If it was going up to 35,000 feet....?????

[395873294YX]

after 30,500 service ceiling it will steadily lose power and then, at some point, began to lose altitude. How high above service ceiling is a factor of turbo charger performance and gross weight. As fuel is burned and only one passenger -- 35,000 ft is reasonable.

[Scimajor]

This reminds me of how Payne Stewart died. Payne was a great golfer and a terrific person. It still makes to sad to think about it.

[Bouillabaisse]

Yes, the Payne Steward incident is what immediately came to mind. Sounds identical except for the number of passengers and plane's vector.

[GoodOleBoy_KK]

test

[AOCGUY]

"150 miles south of Crestview, FL" Why not say 100 miles south of Destin FL? Closer and better known reference point.

[Forty-Four]

Probably because Crestview is more likely to have been heard of by the general public. I however have not heard of either of them

[thekywoman]

You're kidding, right? Who hasn't heard of Destin, FL?

[thechooch1]

agentzer007 the 421 does have a pressurized cabin and has a service ceiling of about 30,000 feet. But I think you are probably right, slow loss of cabin pressure and subsequent hypoxia got him.

[kristenneme]

how was the plane flying in circles?

[raboz]

Auto Pilot

[Forty-Four]

Wind likely. That or it had a slight list