On September 30, a Cessna 150 small aircraft crashed into Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, killing the pilot. As detailed in the NTSB's preliminary report, the plane began to ascend from its descent before descending again.
West Ossipee, New Hampshire resident Robert Ashe was the owner and pilot of to climb the aircraft. His body, been identified by the state Fish and Game Department, was recovered a day after the crash. The wreckage was located underwater, approximately 57-feet deep, as stated in the NTSB's latest report. Federal Aviation Administration records verify this aircraft was registered to Ashe.
Ashe departed from Rhode Island's T.F. Green International Airport on the fatal evening, bound for Laconia Municipal Airport in Gilford, near the lake. The conditions were calm: clear skies and around five-mile visibility, as per the NTSB. The pilot was over Lake Winnipesaukee when the plane made a slight left turn, followed by a descending right turn, then a climb. Soon, the plane was in another descending right turn when radar contact was lost, all outlined in the report by U.S. News.
According to eyewitness accounts, moments before the crash, the plane's landing lights were visible and it descended rapidly in the right-hand turn. Within seconds, the plane crashed, its engine still at "full power". The NTSB's preliminary findings confirm no evidence of an in-flight or post-impact fire. All major control components were found at the crash site.
