But Pilot Larry Glazer Did Not Declare An Emergency, Which Would Have Expedited Altitude Change

More details are emerging about an accident that appears to have fatally injured Larry Glazer of Rochester, NY and his wife Jane, who were flying from Rochester to Naples, FL Friday aboard Glazer's TBM 900.

ABC News reports that Glazer asked twice for clearance to a lower altitude because of an issue with the aircraft, but when he was asked by controllers if he wished to declare an emergency, he said "no." He had been flying at FL280, and was cleared to FL250, but was told he could not descend lower because of traffic. He was given a new heading to clear traffic, but by the time he was cleared to FL200, he was apparently unconscious and had stopped responding.

The pilot of a NORAD F-15 said that Glazer appeared to be breathing but slumped over the controls. "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.

The FAA said the pilot stopped responding to radio calls about 1000 EDT. The plane continued on the heading over Cuba and eventually went down just off the coast of Jamaica when the fuel was exhausted.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov