Crews on Saturday located what they described as a “large object” in the lake believed to be the fuselage of the Cessna aircraft that disappeared Monday.
NEW ORLEANS — The United Cajun Navy believes it has made a major breakthrough in the search for a plane that went missing over Lake Pontchartrain earlier this week.
Crews on Saturday located what they described as a “large object” in the lake believed to be the fuselage of the Cessna aircraft that disappeared Monday.
“We found a rather large piece of what we believe to be the fuselage of the plane,” said Josh Gill with the United Cajun Navy.
Two people, an instructor pilot and a student, were on board when the plane took off from the Million Air terminal in Gulfport, Mississippi, on Nov. 24. When the aircraft approached the New Orleans area, it lost contact with air traffic control and vanished. Both individuals are now presumed dead.
“It was a catastrophic event here with this plane,” Gill said. “We just wanted to help provide that closure to the families.”
Daphne Search and Rescue, based in Alabama, joined the United Cajun Navy in recovery efforts as teams work to survey the site and search for remains.
While responders handle the wreckage, Chaplain Tony Dickey is providing support to the victims’ families.
“If we can recover these individuals for the families and give them some peace of having a funeral — where they can say their goodbyes — it helps tremendously during the grief process,” Dickey said.
Dickey also brings with him a unique source of comfort: a 4.5-pound therapeutic teddy bear known as “The Comfort Cub.”
“It’s amazing, the medical science behind how the Comfort Cub was developed,” he said. “It was actually developed for adults. And it really does work during the grief process. As soon as you feel it, it automatically starts working.”
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.