The medical community in Rockland is mourning the death of a beloved doctor.

Authorities say Dr. Michael Lippe was killed yesterday evening when the single-engine plane he was flying to work in the Finger Lakes region clipped some trees and crashed in bad weather, about 50 miles south of Rochester.

Lippe was the former medical director for Rockland Paramedics and Rockland Mobile Care, where he worked for 15 years. He also led Good Samaritan Hospital's emergency department for the same amount of time before leaving the hospital last year.