Debris found in Lake Pontchartrain during search for missing plane
By Jasmine Franklin, Metia Carroll, Shay O’Connor
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LOUISIANA (WDSU) — New information has been revealed about two pilots who were in a plane that crashed into Lake Pontchartrain near the Lakefront Airport Monday night.
According to the Coast Guard, around 6:36 p.m., they were notified about a possible downed Cessna aircraft that lost contact with the Lakefront Airport approximately 4 miles over Lake Pontchartrain.
Michael Carasto, the owner of Apollo Flight School in Gulfport, Mississippi, said his company’s Cessna aircraft was part of an instructional flight over the lake.
According to Carasto, the two pilots were in their mid-20s and were both working towards commercial licenses.
The instructor, a woman, had 1,300 flying hours and was described as a “highly qualified” instructor. She was 300 hours short of meeting her requirement for airlines.
The student, a man, was short 250 flying hours for his license.
Carasto said because the flight was instructional, either of the pilots could have been flying the plane at the time it crashed. He said that it was common during instructional flights to switch off controls, and did not want to speculate on who was flying at the time.
According to Carasto, the Cessna plane they were flying was a late ’70s or ’80s model, but said it was maintained to regulation standards.
Carasto said he does not believe maintenance will be a factor in the crash, and confirmed no distress call was received from the tower upon their descent to Lakefront Airport.
According to Carasto, the two pilots were descending back to the airport and crashed four miles out from landing on the runway.
He also described the challenges of night flights, especially over water. According to Carasto, there was “marginal weather,” but said that flights over water specifically are challenging due to no clear horizon.
He said this can cause pilots to get vertigo, but did not say if he believed that was a factor in this crash.
According to Carasto, the plane “pretty much disintegrated” on impact, and some parts of the plane, including a seat cushion, have been recovered.
Carasto described the crash as an unbelievable tragedy. He said that in his 46 years of being a flight instructor and pilot, this is the first incident he has ever had in his career.
According to Carasto, he is confident the Coast Guard has narrowed down the area where the plane crashed and is hopeful it will be recovered.
Multiple agencies are still searching for the plane and the pilots Tuesday afternoon. The cause of the crash is still unknown.
The Coast Guard has launched a helicopter and a boat to search for the plane. Coast Guard officials say there are four crew members on each vessel, for a total of eight crew members assisting in the search.
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