DEC. 15 UPDATE: On Wednesday, the St. Charles Parish Coroner’s Office has identified the deceased pilot as Joshua L. Hawley from Livingston Parish.
7:33 P.M. UPDATE: The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development reported that the Bonnet Carre Spillway (I-10E) between US Highway 51/I-55 and I-310 will remain closed until 2 a.m. Wednesday (Dec. 15), as will the I-10 westbound section on the opposite side while Entergy crews reinstall overhead transmission lines.
The DOTD advised motorists traveling on I-10E detour to US 61 near Gramercy or to US 51 South to US 61 South to I-310 North to reenter I-10 East. I-10 West traffic should detour to I-310 South to US 61 North to US 51 North to reenter I-10 West.
6:30 P.M. UPDATE: The Louisiana State Police have confirmed that the lone pilot onboard the crashed Bell 407 helicopter on the Bonnet Carre Spillway has died.
According to Trooper Kate Stegall with Louisiana State Police Troop B:
“I can confirm a fatality of the sole occupant of the helicopter. There were no injuries to anyone on the ground. NTSB is still the lead investigating agency and all additional inquiries related to the crash should go to them.”
UPDATE: According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a pilot was in the helicopter at the time of the crash.
Here is what FAA said about the incident:
“A Bell 407 helicopter crashed near Lake Pontchartrain in LaPlace, La., around 12:35 p.m. local time today. Only the pilot was on board. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates. Neither agency identifies people involved in aircraft accidents.“
Also, according to Entergy, the crash did cause a power outage in Kenner and Metairie.
As of 3 p.m., Entergy customers had their power switched back on according to an Entergy spokesperson.
KENNER, La. (WGNO) — The Louisiana State Police are working a helicopter crash on the Bonnet Carre Spillway.
Troopers responded to I-10 eastbound at milepost 212 shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
I-10 eastbound at US Hwy 51 is currently closed. I-10 eastbound traffic is being diverted to US Hwy 51 southbound.
I-55 southbound is also currently closed and southbound traffic is being diverted to US Hwy 51.
WGNO has a crew en route and will provide updates as they become available.
There is currently no word on injuries.
Entergy is investigating a mass power outage incident in Kenner. More than 20,000 customers are without power as of 2:00 p.m.
At this time, officials cannot confirm that the helicopter crash caused the power outage.