1.   Bergman said a pilot has contacted the government and offered to explain.

2.   But before the pilot could contact Sharjah, the plane vanished from radar screens, signaling it had crashed, al-Hajri said.

3.   But before the pilot could contact the control tower there, the plane vanished from radar screens, al-Hajri said.

4.   He said the pilot contacted an FAA flight service station in Burlington, Vt., on Sunday and was told of an FAA alert apparently referring to his plane.

5.   Prior to the crash, the pilot contacted airport tower officials in Cagayan de Oro to ask for landing information, he said.

6.   The aircraft was circling the airport on its final approach when the pilot contacted the control tower to report engine trouble, he said.

7.   The balloon pilots contacted the Iranians to sort out the misunderstanding and were eventually allowed to continue.

8.   The pilot contacted the Cairo tower, told officials the plane had been hijacked and requested permission to fly through Egyptian airspace to Rome, he said.

9.   The pilot had contacted the control tower at Kish but communication was abruptly cut off, said IRNA, monitored in Cyprus.

10.   The other pilot immediately contacted his superior.