Sea Plane Hits Boat Taking Off From Louisiana Bayou; Fisherman Dead

LEEVILLE, La. (AP) -- A sea plane that was trying to take off collided with a small private fishing boat on a bayou Thursday afternoon, killing a man in the boat.<br/><br/>Authorities do not believe the

Thursday, May 24th 2007, 7:28 pm

By: News On 6

LEEVILLE, La. (AP) -- A sea plane that was trying to take off collided with a small private fishing boat on a bayou Thursday afternoon, killing a man in the boat.

Authorities do not believe the plane became airborne before the wreck. It sank to the bottom of a shallow part of Bayou Lafourche, with part of it remaining above the surface.

Three people in the plane were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Lafourche Parish sheriff's spokesman Larry Weidel said.

The man who died was believed to be the only person on the 18-foot boat. It wasn't immediately clear who owned the plane.

The area where the crash occurred, about 60 miles south of New Orleans, is laced with crisscrossing navigational canals, Weidel said, but he could not recall similar accidents in recent years.

The area is a staging ground for companies serving oil and natural gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.