The pilot of a small plane twice sought permission to fly at a lower altitude before he slumped over the controls, apparently unconscious as the plane flew for more than four hours before crashing into the sea off the coast of Jamaica.
But when asked by air traffic controllers if he wanted to declare an emergency, which would have made his request to descend a priority, the pilot said no, sources told ABC News. Shortly after that call, the pilot stopped responding.
Alarm over the plane that would not respond to radio calls prompted the Air Force to send two F-15 jets to shadow the plane. At one point one of the military pilots can be heard saying that the pilot of the turboprop was unconscious, but he appeared to be breathing.
"I can see his chest rising and falling. Right before I left, it was the first time we could see that he was actually breathing," the pilot said.