The pilot alerted aviation authorities that he was low on fuel. Ionia County deputies said authorities then lost track of his plane.

The airline said the pilot had lost consciousness during the flight, which was headed to Istanbul from Seattle.

A Turkish Airlines pilot died after falling ill during his own flight from Seattle to Istanbul. Captain Ilcehin Pehlivan, 59, collapsed mid-air, prompting a second pilot and co-pilot to take over the controls,