Pilot Unconscious, Plane Drops into Atlantic

After taking off from Wisconsin, a plane carrying an unconscious pilot moved into restricted airspace over Washington, DC, before eventually falling into the Atlantic yesterday, USA Today reports. The pilot was the only person on the plane, which was initially bound for Manassas, Virginia, near Washington, an official says. The FAA tracked the single-engine Cirrus SR20 in restricted airspace, and a pair of fighter jets approached it; they discovered that the pilot wasn't conscious.

The fighter jets accompanied the aircraft until it fell into the ocean off Virginia, having run out of fuel, WVEC reports. A search ensued, but it was called off this morning by the Coast Guard. A rep said it was unlikely anything more would be found after a fisherman had spotted a wheel and engine cowling, possibly from the plane. (More small plane stories.)