Flight Had Originated In East Alton, IL

A Cessna Citation went down in the Atlantic Ocean Friday, resulting in the presumed loss of the pilot, the only person listed to be on board the airplane.

MSN reports that USAF Air National Guard F-15 pilots watched the aircraft go down at about 1800 local time Friday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The flight had originated at St. Louis Regional Airport in East Alton, IL on a flight plan to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in Florida. The plane was registered to a company with an address in Manalapan, a barrier island off Lantana, FL.

According to Kathleen Bergan, a spokeswoman for the FAA, "The aircraft was out of communication with air traffic controllers for more than one hour before it crashed.

"FAA air traffic controllers tracked the flight on radar during that time. U.S. Air Force F-15s intercepted the Citation shortly before it went down.”

According to Flightaware, the plane decreased speed from 413 mph to 295 mph and lost about 100 feet of altitude about 15 minutes before it impacted the water. It flew erratically for about 13 minutes before the impact.

(Image from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: Source Report