Pilot, Navy officer flight student presumed dead in New Orleans plane crash

A U.S. Navy student flight instructor and father-to-be is presumed dead after their small plane crashed into a New Orleans lake, according to authorities and local reports.

Instructor Taylor Dickey and his student, Navy Lt. David Michael Jahn, took off in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk last Monday, but the plane disappeared from flight radar over Lake Pontchartrain, about four miles north of New Orleans Lakefront Airport, according to the Joint Cajun Navy. Local media WWLTV The 30-year-olds were on their way from Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, about 70 miles northeast of where they disappeared.

Jahn, a Civil Engineer Corps officer with the Gulfport, Mississippi-based Navy Seabees, married his wife, Taylor, who is five months pregnant, the Joint Cajun Navy said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday. He was approaching his commercial pilot license with just under 250 flight hours, according to the flight school.

The pilot instructor “was known for her strong faith, love of flying and determination to mentor other women in aviation,” the United Cajun Navy added.

HEAD OF A FAMILY DIES AFTER RESCUE FROM REMOTE ISLAND THAT SEES FAMILY SWIM TO SHORE TO ESCAPE BOAT FIRE

While the Joint Cajun Navy is still continuing its search efforts, arguing that “families deserve closure,” the Coast Guard said it suspended operations Wednesday afternoon after crews searched more than 770 square miles by air and sea for nearly 45 hours.

“Our hearts go out to the families and their loved ones affected by this tragic situation,” the commander said. Michael Wurster, Coast Guard Sector New Orleans search and rescue mission coordinator, said in a statement. “Suspending the search is one of the most difficult decisions we have made and will only be done after every effort has been made to locate the persons involved.”

COAST GUARD stepped in to rescue sailors stranded HUNDREDS OF KILOMETERS OFF THE SHORE from the sinking boat.

Instructor Taylor Dickey was presumed dead after his plane disappeared from radar on November 24, 2025. (Facebook /Taylor Dickey)

Michael Carastro, owner of flight school Apollo Aviation, which owns the plane, said at a press conference on Tuesday that no distress call was made but that the plane broke apart “very, very violently” on impact.

He described the difficulties of flying over water at night, especially in “marginal” weather conditions, which pose many challenges for the pilot.

Navy Lieutenant David Michael Jahn was married to his wife, Taylor, who was five months pregnant, when he disappeared on November 24, 2025. (Facebook/David Michael Jahn)

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The wreckage of the missing plane, including the seat cushion and headrest of a small plane, has finally been found, the United Cajun Navy said Saturday. The group said it made use of boats, sonar teams, air support and K9 units in difficult weather conditions.

He expressed profound grief and noted that this was the first serious incident Apollo Aviation had experienced in its decades of operation.