Responding to the good Samaritan’s emergency call, the Coast Guard sent two rescue boats and a helicopter to the scene near the Sen.
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The passenger was identified as Reginald Hillard Jr., 25, of Baton Rouge. “You know, he died that way”, said Yolanda White, Hillard’s cousin.
Said to have been on a training flight when it crashed, the plane was located at around 4 p.m.by a joint rescue operation of Coast Guard, New Orleans Police Department and New Orleans Fire Department crews – including a professional diver – about a thousand feet west of the intended runway.
It started out Saturday evening with a man and woman enjoying a sightseeing flight across New Orleans, with a pilot known for his abilities and experience.
A family member said Hilliard was able to unbuckle Davis from her seat and push her out of the aircraft after it hit the water. “Not just family – he wanted to take care of everybody”, he said. Bourgeois said the Jim Biondo was a graduate of Thibodaux High and had lived in the city his entire life. “He was a friend to everybody”. There was no immediate information on whether the men’s bodies were inside the aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of the crash, the Coast Guard said.
Authorities said the two bodies couldn’t be seen from above the water because the lake is so murky, but once the wreckage was pulled from the lake, they found the two bodies inside. NTSB spokesman Terry Williams said the plane was being moved to a secure location where investigators can begin examining the aircraft.
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Police say a private yacht rescued a woman who was taken to a hospital after the crash, which occurred shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday.
