BOSSIER PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office has confirmed the names of the two people killed early Wednesday morning in a plane crash on the east reservation of Barksdale Air Force Base.
According to BPSO, 18-year-old Jet Andrew Montgomery and 19-year-old Jon Cole Harris, both of Bossier City, were on board the small plane that crashed into a wooded area just before 5 a.m. Wednesday. They died at the scene.
Northwestern State University confirmed Harris was a former student but declined further comment Thursday. Montgomery was a student at Louisiana Tech and according to a statement shared on Facebook by Montgomery’s aunt and owner of Buttercups Cupcakes, he graduated from Airline last year.
“Jet Montgomery had an infectious smile, a love & excitement for life, an incredibly bright future. It all ended entirely too soon in an airplane crash yesterday morning,” Kim Hand said, adding that profits from sales Thursday will go toward helping with funeral expenses.
With the help of the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office, base personnel found the downed aircraft about three hours after the loss of contact with the pilot prompted a search. The sheriff’s office says the Federal Aviation Administration and/or National Transportation Safety Board will be taking over the investigation.