Investigators look over a small plane that was lifted by a crane from the water of Lake Pontchartrain onto a barge near Lakefront Airport, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016 in New Orleans.
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The Cessna aircraft was heading to Lakefront Airport, about 10 miles from downtown.
The plane crashed as it neared New Orleans Lakefront Airport.
The female passenger got out of the sinking plane and was rescued.
Two men remain missing but a woman was rescued after the crash Saturday night. Family members said the flight was a gift to Hilliard from his girlfriend, who is the woman who was rescued after the crash.
Along with local agencies, the Coast Guard station in New Orleans has deployed a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and a 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew who have been doing search patterns in the area since the initial report of the crash. The person rescued received medical care, but the condition of the individual is unknown at this time.
The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into the cause. The group had seen an emergency flare shoot up from the lake around 8:45 while they were dining, and watched Coast Guard boats rush toward the scene as ambulances arrived.
He says the fire department’s fireboat carried divers from the police department’s dive team out to help the Coast Guard.
“If the pilot was having engine problems or something, he could’ve very easily just clicked on the mic and done a mayday but apparently that didn’t occur”, Morris said.
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“More information on the two missing passengers should become forthcoming with tomorrow’s recovery effort.”
