Search continues after training flight crashes into Lake Pontchartrain

A search-and-rescue operation is underway after a small training aircraft crashed into Lake Pontchartrain on Monday evening, authorities and the operating flight school confirmed.

The Cessna 172N registered N80FP, carrying a flight instructor and a student from Apollo Flight Training in Mississippi, lost contact with air traffic control around 6:23 p.m., roughly 40 minutes after departing Gulfport for practice approaches in New Orleans. The aircraft was last detected about four miles north of Lakefront Airport.

“They are presumed to have gone into the water,” said Apollo owner and chief flight instructor Mike Carastro, noting preliminary information suggests the incident was “not mechanical” in nature. He described the instructor as highly qualified and nearing airline minimums, while the student was pursuing commercial and instrument certifications.

A Coast Guard helicopter searching the lake on Monday night spotted water discolouration, and hours later, state wildlife officials located debris consistent with a small aircraft, including a seat cushion. The Coast Guard resumed searching on Tuesday with multiple agencies involved.

The names of those on board have not been released. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are leading the investigation into the cause of the crash.