LSU mourns seniors killed in Tennessee plane crash; says they will be honored at graduation

Juan Buitrago, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read

Louisiana State University says they will honor two seniors at their respective graduation ceremonies Friday after they died in a plane crash Wednesday in Williamson County, about 50 miles southwest of Nashville.

The students, identified by the school as Giselle and Jean-Luc Doucet, were killed when the single-engine, fixed wing plane flown by their father, Dr. Lucius Doucet III, crashed in the area of Bending Chestnut Road and Davis Hollow Road near the Natchez Trace Parkway.

LSU issued a statement Thursday identifying the students, both seniors who were scheduled to graduate Friday.

"We are devastated to hear this news, and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Doucet family and all those close to them," the statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, read. "This is heartbreaking for the LSU community, but especially for those who know and love these two students, and those who were expecting to share graduation with them tomorrow."

The university's statement went on to say that they will honor both students at their respective ceremonies and support those impacted by their deaths.

When did the plane crash happen in Tennessee?

Williamson County emergency officials said they received a 911 call regarding a possible plane crash around 12:05 p.m.

According to officials, the Beech V35 single-engine plane had left Baton Rouge, La. and was headed to Louisville, Ky., when it crashed. The plane departed from Louisiana Regional Airport at 8:53 a.m. Central Time and was scheduled to arrive at Bowman Field Airport at 2:07 p.m. Eastern Time, according to FlightAware.

During a press conference Thursday, officials said the plane was "violently out of control" before the crash.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Aaron McCarter said the wreckage was over a half-mile radius. "It was widely dispersed, indicative of an in-flight break up," he said.

Tennessean reporters Kirsten Fiscus and Diana Leyva contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: LSU to honor Giselle, Jean Luc Doucet on graduation after plane crash