Plane Bound For Caldwell, NJ

Searchers located the bodies of a pilot and his passenger Sunday afternoon, less than three hours after Coast Guard crews began combing the waters off the coast of Maine for signs of a missing Cessna T337C Skymaster.

The Portland Press-Herald reports Edward and Maryann Mainardi took off from Millinocket Municipal Airport (MLT) on an IFR flight plan at about 12:30 EDT Sunday afternoon, bound for Caldwell, NJ. Controllers at Brunswick Naval Air Station lost radar contact with the inline twin aircraft about a half-hour later.

Crews quickly located an oily debris field.

The couple was returning from their vacation home, according to MLT supervisor Jeff Campbell. He added the weather was fine at the airport when N15EM took off, though rain clouds were moving in.... but Campbell noted to the paper the Skymaster could have flown above the low clouds.

"I've been wrestling with it all day, what could have caused (the accident)," Campbell said.

Investigators with the FAA and NTSB were on the scene Sunday night.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 15EM        Make/Model: C337      Description: 337, M337, MC337, T337B/C/D/E/F/H  (Turb
  Date: 06/15/2008     Time: 1707

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: BRUNSWICK   State: ME   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES INTO THE OCEAN, THE TWO
  PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY  INJURED, 20 MILES FROM BRUNSWICK, ME

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   2
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: KNHZ 151556Z 00000KT 6SM BR BKN005 BKN009 OVC046 13/12 A2989

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  FAA FSDO: PORTLAND, ME  (EA65)                  Entry date: 06/16/2008

FMI: www.ntsb.gov