Missing pilot was unresponsive, NORAD reports

FREEPORT, Texas (AP) – Officials say the pilot of a small plane that disappeared over the Gulf of Mexico was unresponsive and may have been suffering from a lack of oxygen.

He took off from Oklahoma City on Wednesday and was supposed to land in Georgetown, Texas, but kept going.

North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, dispatched two F-16 fighters to make contact with the plane. NORAD reported to the Coast Guard that the solo pilot was unresponsive.

The Eighth Coast Guard District, referencing the NORAD report, says the pilot appeared to be suffering from hypoxia, in which the brain is deprived of adequate oxygen. The condition can cause confusion, nausea, breathlessness and hallucinations.

The search for the plane continues.