Cameron Sheriff: Two bodies recovered from plane crash near Hackberry

HACKBERRY, La. (KPLC) - Two bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of a plane that went down near Hackberry Tuesday, Cameron Sheriff Don Johnson said.

Rock Palermo and Don Clements were killed in the crash, Johnson said. Palermo was an instructor on the flight and Clements was a student.

Palermo was a local attorney at Veron, Bice, Palermo & Wilson and was a pilot with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Calcasieu Sheriff Tony Mancuso got emotional while speaking Wednesday morning at a news conference.

“Rock touched many, many people and this is about as tough a loss as you can get for this office and this community,” Mancuso said. “He’s just one of those people you can’t replace.”

Clements was a financial planner with Global Asset Management. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, and their children, Mary Kathryn and Will.

Authorities first got a call around 5:47 p.m. Tuesday of a plane flying low, then disappearing, Johnsons said.

The plane, a single-engine Cessna 182 four-seater, crashed on a small island between Hackberry and Big Lake, near Pete Seay Circle.

Cameron Parish and Calcasieu Parish authorities worked throughout the night investigating the crash, but are turning over the investigation to a Federal Aviation Administration crew out of Baton Rouge and a National Transportation Safety Board team out of Dallas.

An obituary for Rock Palermo can be found HERE.

Don Clement’s will be having a visitation from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 6, and funeral at 3 p.m.

Click here to see Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso and District Attorney Stephen Dwight speak about what it was like to know Rock Palermo.

Wednesday afternoon, a procession was held as Palermo was brought to a Jennings’ funeral home, click here for more.

Copyright 2021 KPLC. All rights reserved.