‘Unbelievable Tragedy’ as Gulfport Cessna Plunges Into Lake Pontchartrain

A female flight instructor and male student who took off from the Million Air terminal at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport are presumed dead after debris from their single-engine Cessna was found Monday evening and Tuesday morning in Lake Pontchartrain.

“We had an unbelievable tragedy last night,” said Michael Carastro, owner of Apollo Flight Training & Aircraft Management, where the flight instructor worked. Both the flight instructor and student were under 35 years old.

He said preliminary data indicates the crash was not caused by a mechanical problem. Also, he said, if the landing had been controlled, the plane would have floated on its wings for several hours, but it was not found during an initial three-hour grid search of the water. Carastro also said no distress call was placed from the plane.

“I have high hopes that they will be recovering the airplane,” said Carastro, who held a news conference at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Million Air. “It’s not going to be intact at all because the impact was very, very violent, looking at the pictures that I did see. We really don’t know what happened. Airplanes don’t just fall out of the sky.”

The U.S. Coast Guard is still searching for the Cessna 172N Skyhawk, a four-seater training model. It was reported missing over Lake Pontchartrain after it took off with the flight instructor and student, who were on a training flight. Carastro said the pilot was experienced, and the student also has accumulated many hours toward a commercial license.

It’s unclear which of the two was piloting the plane, he said, because an instructor and student trade seats on training flights.

Carastro said either the Federal Aviation Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board would release the names of the two people on the plane at a later time. He was not prepared to do so.

“Here at Apollo, which does include Million Air, we are a very tight-knit family,” said Carastro, a pilot for 46 years who has never personally experienced an airplane accident. “This is a huge loss for us.”

He said that he was headed back to New Orleans and that the FAA and NTSB will investigate the accident and are awaiting recovery of airplane parts. Lakefront Airport loses contact with Cessna

Air traffic control at the Lakefront Airport in New Orleans reported losing communication with the Cessna at around 6:30 p.m. Monday when the plane was about 4 miles north of the airport, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Cheyenne Basurto. Basurto confirmed two people were aboard the Cessna.

She said the Coast Guard immediately launched a search with a 29-foot response boat and helicopter. The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol helicopter replaced the Coast Guard helicopter at some point Tuesday morning, but the search continues for the missing aircraft.

Other groups joined the search, including the United Cajun Navy Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and local parishes.

At around 7:30 p.m., Coast Guard personnel noted discoloration in Lake Pontchartrain waters and honed in on an unspecified area. They found a seat cushion and head rest from a small plane, Basurto said.

Carastro indicated during the news conference that more wreckage had been found, and it appeared to be from the Cessna.

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