UPDATED SATURDAY: Plane crash victims were Patterson, Denham Springs residents
Authorities have released the names of the two men whose bodies were recovered Thursday after the plane crash at Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport.
They were identified as Dean Lee Felterman, 69, of Patterson and Mufid Jabour, 48, of Denham Springs, according to St. Mary Coroner Dr. Eric Melancon.
Felterman was the son of the late Patterson businessman and philanthropist F.C. "Butch" Felterman. The younger Felterman had been in the boat brokerage business and was involved in a variety of civic causes in Patterson.
A Facebook account for Mufid Jabur lists him as a certified pilot and tax preparer in Denham Springs.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB investigators arrived at the site Friday.
"Please pray for the victims' families in this tragic loss," Melancon said in a text Friday.
NTSB spokeswoman Sarah Taylor Sulick said Friday that the Cessna 414 crashed at 3:11 p.m. Thursday.
The NTSB will issue a preliminary report, typically within two weeks. But the official determination may take as long as one to two years, according to the NTSB website.
According to Sulick, NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment. As part of this process, investigators will gather the following information and records:
--Flight track data
--Recordings of any air traffic control communications
-- Aircraft maintenance records
--Weather forecasts and actual weather and lighting conditions around the time of the accident
-- Pilot’s license, ratings and recent flight experience
--72-hour background of the pilot to determine if there were any issues that could have affected the pilot’s ability to safety operate the flight
--Witness statements
--Electronic devices that could contain information relevant to the investigation
--Any available surveillance video, including from doorbell cameras
A fire followed the crash, Sulick said. The Patterson, Bayou Vista and Franklin fire departments responded.
The Cessna 414 is a twin-engine aircraft. The model first flew in 1968, and the model has been in service since then in several engine and airframe modifications.
KLFY in Lafayette reported that the plane is registered to MJ Aviation in Denham Springs. The Federal Aviation Administration's online database shows that a Cessna 414 registered to MJ Aviation was manufactured in 1973.
Weather appears unlikely to have been a factor. About 3 p.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service at Lake Charles was reporting overcast skies at the airport, and about 4 p.m., skies were reported to be clear. The wind was from the north at 10 mph, and visibility was 10 miles.
The fire resulting from the crash was a special source of concern given the drought conditions and the statewide burn ban that has been in effect since late August. The ban was modified Sept. 27 to allow burning in sugar cane fields, but only after harvesting. The Berwick Public Works Department's monthly reports to the Town Council reported a total of less than 5 inches of rain in August and September.