A plane belonging to a prominent New York real estate developer and his wife 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.
Within minutes of the crash, local officials in New York began issuing public condolences to the Glazer family.
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the unconscionable and tragic passing of longtime personal friends, Larry and Jane Glazer," said Assemblyman Joseph Morelle, of Irondequoit, N.Y. "The Glazers believed in the full potential of Rochester and their passion for our community was always on display, whether through their unrivaled commitment to the rebirth of downtown or through their many philanthropic and charitable activities."
FlightAware identified the plane's tail number as N900KN. FAA records show the plane, a model that sells new for $3.5 million in its standard version, is owned by a company based at the same address as a real estate firm in Rochester. The firm, Buckingham Properties, is owned by developer Larry Glazer, who also is president of the TBM Owners and Pilots Association.
According to Buckingham's website, "Larry spends some of his spare time on the ground - gardening around his house with his wife, Jane; and some in the sky - flying his plane."
Joseph Rowley Jr., director of leasing and marketing at Buckingham Properties, which is owned by Glazer, declined to comment. The company closed early Friday.
A woman answering the phone at QCI Direct, a catalog company owned by Glazer's wife, Jane Glazer, at 2:15 p.m., said the company was not making any public statements.
Moments later, a voice recording at QCI said the company was closed.
The Glazer's children released a statement about their parents late Friday: "We are devastated by the tragic and sudden loss of our parents, Jane and Larry Glazer," the statement read. "They loved and appreciated the opportunity to help build the community of Rochester, and we thank everyone in the community for their expressions of support. We understand that there are many questions yet to be answered about today's events, and we too are awaiting answers. At this time, we would appreciate the ability to mourn privately."
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 on 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.
NORAD released this statement:
NORAD jets investigate unresponsive aircraft over Atlantic Ocean
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – As of 11:30 a.m. EDT today, September 5th, 2014, two F-15 fighter jets under the direction of North American Aerospace Defense Command launched to investigate an unresponsive aircraft currently flying over the Atlantic Ocean.
The Socata TBM-700 light business and utility aircraft departed Rochester, NY with a flight plan filed to land in Naples, FL, however the plane's occupants did not respond to attempts to communicate. The aircraft continues to be followed by NORAD jets.
NORAD continues to monitor the situation in close coordination with the FAA. More information will be made available as it emerges.
NORAD's mission – in close collaboration with homeland defense, security, and law enforcement partners – is to prevent air attacks against North America, safeguard the sovereign airspaces of the United States and Canada by responding to unknown, unwanted and unauthorized air activity approaching and operating within these airspaces, and provide aerospace and maritime warning for North America.
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.
NORAD is the bi-national Canadian and American command that is responsible for the air defense of North America and maritime warning. The command has three subordinate regional headquarters: the Alaskan NORAD Region at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; the Canadian NORAD Region at Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the Continental NORAD Region at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The command is poised both tactically and strategically in our nation's capital to provide a multilayered defense to detect, deter and prevent potential threats flying over the airspace of the United States and Canada.
