Former Bethel Resident Killed In New Hampshire Plane Crash

BETHEL, CT — The pilot of a single-engine plane which crashed into a New Hampshire lake Saturday night was a former resident of Bethel, according to his obituary.

Robert W. Ashe, Jr., 70, died from injuries sustained when his aircraft crashed in Gilford, NH, his death notice said.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration database, Ashe's Cessna 150 crashed "under unknown circumstances" into Lake Winnipesaukee around 9:50 p.m. He was alone on the plane, which was destroyed, according to the FAA records.

Ashe was "an avid aviator" and moved to an aviation community in West Ossipee, NH in 2020, according to his obituary. He had been employed as an aerospace engineer for many years, retiring from United Technologies Corporation in 2015.

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He leaves his son Robert-Anthony Ashe and his partner Laura Chipps of New Milford; his daughter, Aleisha Gerschwiler and her husband Bradley and their two children David and Cecelia; his siblings, Gayle Hicks, David Ashe, William Ashe, Shawn Ashe, Michael Ashe, Kelly Verrill, Taunda Nestor, James Anderson, Joseph Anderson, John Anderson, Eileen Anderson, and nieces and nephews.