A Beechcraft Bonanza, a high performance single engine aircraft characteristically identified by a V-tail, crashed last night near Slidell Municipal Airport.
The planes co-owner James Blasek says he believed New Orleans Attorney Gene Fendler was at the stick when the plane went down.
Blasek and Fendler’s law partner Don Abaunza were on hand at the crash site Thursday morning to inspect and identify the plane.
The St. Tammany Coroner’s Office has yet to officially identify the badly burned body recovered from the wreckage.
According to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, Fendler’s car was found parked at the hangar where the plane is normally parked.
“As far as a pilot, he was an exceptional pilot, very safety oriented,” Blazek told the paper.
Reportedly, the plane is believed to have crashed as early as 2pm Wednesday afternoon into the heavily wooded area off the end of the airport’s runway.
It wasn’t until the smoldering wreckage was spotted by a pilot taking off around 6pm that authorities were notified.
This is the first time since 2016 there has been crash at the small municipal field.