Report: Atlasjet plane missing with 56 people aboard in central Turkey

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
An Atlasjet plane went missing just before landing in central Turkey early Friday with 56 people aboard, airline and Turkish authorities said. Helicopters took off from Ankara, the capital, to search for the plane, which went missing after it reported it was approaching the airport near the city of Isparta. Forty-nine passengers and seven crew members were aboard the plane, said Tuncel Doganel, chief executive officer of Atlasjet, in a statement. The MD 83 jetliner took off from Istanbul at 0155 am (2355GMT) and headed to Isparta in central Turkey, Doganel said. The plane was leased from Worldfocus.