The Coast Guard has launched a search operation after a plane lost contact over Lake Pontchartrain on Monday evening.

Shortly after 6:30 p.m., watchstanders were notified that a Cessna aircraft had lost radio contact. The plane was last reported about four miles north of Lakefront Airport.

It’s still unclear how many people were on board or what their condition may be.

The Coast Guard has deployed an MH-60 helicopter and a 29-foot response boat from Station New Orleans to search for the aircraft. A WWL crew at the lake Monday night saw and heard a Coast Guard helicopter circling the area where search efforts are concentrated. The plane lost contact after sunset, so conditions were already dark.

WWL's Rachel Handley also spoke with the owner of Apollo Flight School in Gulfport, who conf

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