UPDATE
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed Monday that one person was killed in a Sunday single-ending plane crash in rural Rapides Parish.
The FAA identified the aircraft as a Beechcraft BE20 registered to a person in California and listed one fatality in its aviation incident database. The agency said only one person was aboard the plane at the time of the crash.
The aircraft came to rest near the edge of Lake Rodemacher — also known as Cleco Lake — near the community of Sharp, west of Boyce.
The National Transportation Safety Board arrived on scene Monday to lead the investigation. All further official information regarding the cause of the crash and the identity of the victim will be released through the NTSB.
ORIGINAL
BOYCE — A downed aircraft discovered Sunday afternoon in a densely wooded swamp near Cleco Lake in Rapides Parish remained inaccessible to search and rescue teams as of late Sunday evening, with the National Transportation Safety Board expected on scene Monday to lead the investigation.
The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office received the initial report of a possible downed aircraft at approximately 2:33 p.m. Sunday through the Rapides Parish 911 Center. Deputies and first responders initially shifted search efforts to the Red Store Hill Road area near Boyce after residents reported the aircraft may have gone down in that vicinity.
After hours of searching, the aircraft was located at approximately 5 p.m. on the west side of Cleco Lake, also known as Lake Rodemacher, in a heavily vegetated and swampy area of forest that has made access by ground crews impossible.
As of Sunday evening, no information on the type of aircraft, the number of passengers aboard, or the condition of any occupants has been released. Search and rescue personnel had not yet reached the crash site.
RPSO Chief of Staff Tommy Carnline said the NTSB is expected to be on scene Monday, and that all further information regarding the investigation will be released through that agency.
The following agencies participated in Sunday’s search operations: Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police, Pineville Fire and Rescue, Alexandria Fire Department, Rapides Parish Fire District No. 2, Cotile Volunteer Fire Department, Flatwoods Volunteer Fire Department, Pafford Ambulance Service, Louisiana State Forestry Service, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The Rapides Parish 911 Center also provided assistance.
The Rapides Parish Journal will continue to follow this story as the NTSB releases additional information.