Airplane crash kills two Cape Girardeau men

BLODGETT, Mo. -- Two Cape Girardeau men died when their small single-engine airplane crashed during takeoff from a private landing strip, Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said this evening.

Paul Fisher, a former U.S. DEA agent, and Robbie Rollins, president of Delta Express Inc., were unable to escape their small airplane after it clipped a small shed with its wing, somersaulted and burst into flames, Walter said. The first emergency call came in shortly after noon, Walter said.

The private landing strip is south of Scott County Road 524. Fisher and Rollins, both experienced fliers, were visiting the owner of the property and returning to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport when the crash occurred, he said.

Walter said he knew both men. "Both of them are real good guys, and they definitely will be missed," Walter said.

About 4 p.m., the crash scene was turned over to the jurisdiction of the Federal Aviation Administration, Walter said. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will arrive Monday, he said.

The bodies of both men were turned over to Scott County Coroner Scott Amick and autopsies will be performed, Walter said.

The name of the property owner is not being released, Walter said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642