Authorities have identified one of the two people onboard the Cessna aircraft that went down over Lake Pontchartrain Monday night. According to Apollo Flight Training owner Michael Carastro, 30-year-old Taylor Dickey was serving as a contract flight instructor at the time of the crash. Dickey, who had logged more than 1,200 flight hours, was widely respected within the aviation community.
Dickey and a student pilot, whose name has not yet been released, are both presumed dead. Their bodies have not been recovered. The Cessna Skyhawk departed Gulfport shortly before 5:45 p.m. Monday and lost contact with ground control at approximately 6:23 p.m. while flying over the lake.
After the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search operations Wednesday afternoon, volunteers with the United Cajun Navy continued efforts to locate the wreckage. Carastro confirmed that additional debris from the plane has recently been found, though crews are still searching for the main fuselage.
The FAA and NTSB have launched investigations to determine what caused the fatal crash. Authorities have not released further details at this time.
