Prominent plastic surgeon, 2 kids set to graduate from LSU ID’d as those killed when plane breaks apart midair in Tennessee
A well-known Louisiana plastic surgeon and h꧑is two adult children💜 — who were both two days away from their college graduation — were killed when the small plane they were in broke apart in the air, officials said.
The single-engine Beechcraft V35 fell apart over Tennessee just south of Nashville around m⛎idday Wednesday as it was headed from Gonzales, Louisiana, to Louisville,&nbs♎p;
Dr. Lucius J. Doucet III and his daughter Giselle and son Jean-Luc🍌 were killed in the midair disaster, officials said.
The two were set to gradu🥀ate from Louisiana State University, where Giselle studied veterinary medicine and Jean-Luc ෴was an engineering student, .
“It does appear that the flight did break up in the air,” Williamson Co🍸unty Sheriff Mark Elrod
“We are devastated to hear this news, and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Dಞoucet family and all those close to th𒈔em,” the school said in a statement.
“This is heartbreaking🦹 for the LSU community, but especially for those who know and love these two students, and those who were expecting to 🍌share graduation with them.”
The small aircraft was owned by Lucius Do𝔍ucet, who practiced in Baton Rouge and was remembered by colleagues as an “exceptional surgeon” who loveꦯd to fly planes,
“Dr. Doucet was not only an exceptional surgeon, but also a compassionate man who touched the lives of countless individuals within our community,” Williamson Cosmetic Center said.
“His dedication to his patients was unmatched, and his kindness and empathy were felt by all who had the privilege of knowing him.”
The wreckage from the plane left “a rather large debris field” spanning over half a mile that authorities𒅌 would continue searching through Thursday, Elrod said.
Rough weather might have been a factor in the crash, a National T🌱ransportation Safety Boa♑rd official said Thursday, according to the Advocate.
“If weather didn’t cause the accident, weather was a factor in the accident,” said NTSB aviation accident investigator Aaron McCarter at a news conference.
Emergency responders received a 911 call from a resident who said they saw an explosion and debris — and said there might have been a plane crash, around 12:05 p.mꦇ. Wednesday.
“It was quickꦜly evident that this would be a search-and-recovery operation, 🍌not a search-and-rescue operation,” Elrod said.
Audio from air traffic control discussed the plane starting to descend from 9,000 feet — and revealed there were 𓄧options for it to land 16 miles north, according to News Channel 5.
Ai𒀰r traffic control continued trying to reach the plane, but it wasn’t clear from the audio how the pilot responded.
“It sounds like contact lost,” the tower said.
The Williamson Coun▨ty Sheriff’s Office, Franklin Fire, Williamson County EMA and Williamson Health EMS responded to the crash.
According to the sheriff, authorities have received some calls abou🌠t debris in yards an🃏d driveways, but no structural damage has been reported.
Authoꩵrities have asked residents to avoid the area while crews continue to search and clean up the scene.
The FAA, th♐e sheriff’s office and the NTSB are investigating the incident.
