NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The owner of a small plane that crashed into Lake Pontchartrain called it “an unimaginable tragedy” as investigators work to determine what caused the fatal accident.

Michael Carastro, owner of Apollo Flight Training, said two people were on board the Cessna that took off Monday night from Gulfport and flew to the lakefront to practice approaches. The plane carried a student and an instructor from his flight school.

MORE: Coast Guard searching Lake Pontchartrain for missing small plane

The U.S. Coast Guard found debris floating in Lake Pontchartrain. Carastro said distinctive characteristics helped him identify the small Cessna.

“The impact was very, very violent, looking at the pictures that I did see,” Carastro said.

Communication was lost around 6:40 p.m. on

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