Overview
- An instructor and student from Apollo Aviation are presumed dead after their Cessna 172N lost contact about 4 miles north of New Orleans Lakefront Airport on Monday evening.
- Radar contact ended at approximately 6:23 p.m., nearly 40 minutes after departure from Gulfport, where the pair were conducting a training flight to practice approaches.
- FlightAware data show a rapid 2,200-foot descent over land in roughly 10 minutes followed by an additional drop of about 900 feet over Lake Pontchartrain before the aircraft disappeared.
- The Coast Guard deployed an MH-60 helicopter and a 29-foot response boat, later noting water discoloration and reporting that state crews found apparent small-plane debris, including a seat cushion.
- The NTSB and FAA are leading the investigation, and the plane’s owner said preliminary information does not indicate a mechanical issue, while officials have not released the occupants’ names.