Sunday, November 24, 2019
Caddo Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of an aircraft in the Red River earlier today, said Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator.
According to Sheriff's Lt. Mike Gray, just before 11 a.m., two men were practicing touch-and-go landings at the Downtown Airport when the engine failed in their Cessna aircraft. The plane went into the Red River near the end of the south runway, but the men were able to get out and swim to the Bossier bank. They did not appear to be injured but were taken to Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport as a precaution.
Sheriff's Sgt. Rodney Spikes said another pilot at the airport saw the plane take off, then heard its engine stop. He saw the plane drop below the tree line and called 911.
Shreveport Fire and the Caddo Sheriff's Office responded to the scene as well as the Bossier City police and fire departments and Bossier Sheriff's Office.
Stacy Kuba, interim director of airports for the Shreveport Airport Authority, said the airport has returned to normal operations. The plane is expected to be removed at a later date.
No names of those involved have been released pending contact with their families.
