An Atlasjet plane carrying 56 people crashed just before landing in central Turkey early on Friday, and all aboard are believed to have died, officials said.

A rescue helicopter had reached the wreckage of the plane and reported back that no one had survived the crash, airline CEO Tuncay Doganer said.

The plane's wreckage was seen near the town of Keciborlu in Isparta province, and search teams were headed to the area, local governor Alper Faruk Gungor said.

The plane went missing after it reported approaching toward the airport near the city of Isparta.

The MD 83 jetliner took off from Istanbul at around 7 pm EST and headed to Isparta.