Missing Whiting Field Pilot Presumed Dead

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, they have suspended the search for missing U.S. Navy pilot Lt. Clinton Wermers.

They say the search for Lt. Wermers is now a recovery mission.

NAS Whiting Field says Lt. Clinton Wermers is presumed dead. He's been missing since his plane crashed into Lake Ponchartrain near New Orleans Saturday night.

Around 6:40 p.m. Saturday, Air Traffic Control contacted the Coast Guard saying a T-34C Turbomentor was no longer visible on radar. Wermers and a student pilot clung to the wreckage until it sank.

The Coast Guard rescued the student pilot around 9 p.m. He was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for his injuries and mild hypothermia. He has since been released.

The pilots were on a routine cross-country training mission when their plane went down. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

Coast Guard officials say the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office is continuing its search.