Cessna Down Amid Rotary Flying Tour

Four members of a Rotary Club flying fellowship were lost Monday when their Cessna 182 went down in the Long Island Sound near New London, CT, authorities said. The aircraft, part of a 22-plane tour, was headed from Maine to Groton-New London Airport.

It happened just before 1400 in dense fog, according to the Coast Guard. One boater said he heard the plane's engine cut out, then heard a loud "bang."

Authorities recovered the bodies just 20-minutes after the mishap and were going about the business of notifying the victims' families Monday night. The aircraft was owned by Herbert Rollins III of Phoenix, AZ.

"He's been a pilot for a very long time," said Lucinda Pyne, governor-elect of Rotary District 5510 in Arizona. She was quoted by the Associated Press. "This is someone who is extremely skilled, not someone who just got their pilot's license."

Rollins, a retired dentist, generally flew with his wife, Patricia who was also a member of the club. "I don't know that's the case here, but I'm guessing they would have been together," Pyne told the wire service.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov