Plane Crash in New Orleans: Flight Instructor and Student Presumed Dead

A flight instructor and her student, a U.S. Navy officer who was also expecting a child, are presumed dead following a plane crash into a lake in New Orleans, according to authorities and various reports.

Taylor Dickey, 30, and her student, identified as 30-year-old Navy Capt. David Michael Jahn, took off from Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in a Cessna Skyhawk on Monday, as stated by the Coast Guard.

The aircraft lost signal on Flightradar around 6:30 p.m., approximately four miles north of New Orleans Lakefront Airport. There were no distress signals from the plane, and it remains unclear who was piloting the aircraft when it went down, Michael Calastro, the flight school’s owner, stated during a press conference.

Calastro described the crash as “very violent” and mentioned that the aircraft was well-maintained.

Search efforts began shortly after the aircraft disappeared; discolored water was found along with a seat cushion and other debris believed to belong to the plane. These efforts continued for almost two days but were called off on Wednesday afternoon.

Calastro confirmed that both Jahn and Dickey are now considered presumed dead.

“No one knows what happened at the moment,” he commented, noting initial findings suggest the crash was not due to mechanical failure. He expressed a sense of shock, saying, “I’ve been coaching for 46 years. I’ve never had anything like this happen.”

Reports indicate that Jahn, a civil engineer officer with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 in Gulfport, was indeed the father-to-be identified by the U.S. Navy.

The family expressed their grief in a statement, highlighting Jahn’s faith and love for life, adding that his character will live on through his wife and their soon-to-arrive child. They described him as someone devoted to family, exploration, and service.

A petition has been launched to rename the Gulfport-Biloxi Airport Authority to “Taylor Dickey Field,” celebrating Dickey’s contributions to aviation and her role in encouraging women to pursue flight training.

Authorities utilized specialized sonar and diving operations to locate more remains of the plane, which have been handed off to the relevant agencies. As of now, there has been no response from the FAA, Coast Guard, or U.S. Navy regarding the incident.