?(Image from USCG Heartland on Twitter/X)A Cessna 172N Skyhawk (N80FP) crashed into Lake Pontchartrain near the Lakefront Airport (NEW) on Monday night at around 6:36 pm.
The Coast Guard is currently searching for the missing aircraft and its two passengers, along with assistance from multiple agencies. The aircraft was being diverted to NEW, according to ASN, but entered a left-hand spiral before crashing 4 miles north of the airport.The aircraft was registered to Apollo Flight School in Gulfport, Mississippi and was doing an instructional flight over the lake, according to WDSU. The owner, Michael Carasto, told WDSU that the occupants were a student pilot and instructor in their mid-20s. The student was 250 hours short of earning his pilot’s license and the instructor was 300 hours short of meeting her airline requirement. Both are presumed dead.
It is unknown which occupant was flying the aircraft at the time of the crash. Carasto claimed the Cessna was a late ’70s or ’80s model, but it has been maintained to regulation standards. Some parts of the aircraft, including a seat cushion, have been recovered in the search.
The Coast Guard has launched a helicopter and a boat with four crew members each to assist in the search. View this post on Instagram A post shared by WDSU (@wdsu6)
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