A THANKSGIVING service will be held to remember a former Puckington man who died when the plane he was piloting crashed in the United States.

Robert Madge, 51, was killed when his single-engine aircraft crashed in Marin County west of Novato in California.

He leaves behind his wife Marianne, parents John and Janet Madge, children Asha and Chloe, brother Nic and sister Ginny.

The Beechcraft 35 Bonanza plane Robert was in control of left Brookings, Oregon, and was heading to San Carlos when it got into trouble at about 9.30pm on August 19.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Robert reported engine problems and said he would try to make it to a nearby field but air traffic controllers lost contact with him shortly afterwards.

Robert, known as Bob, was the only person on board the plane and police found the wreckage several hours later.

A fire surrounding the plane burnt 32 acres of nearby fields.

Speaking to the News from their home in Puckington, Robert’s parents said he was a keen cricketer in the local area but did not wish to comment further.

He worked for corporate communications and government relations firm GlobalFoundries for more than four years and vice-president Kevin Kimball told reporters in California Robert was ‘a key leader in multiple roles’.

He added: “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and our employees during this difficult time.

“During his tenure with us, Bob was a dedicated, hard-working leader who was very proud of his team and their many contributions.

His leadership will be greatly missed.”

According to Robert’s LinkedIn profile, he also worked as director of technology marketing for LSI Corp from 2004-10 and before then as director of product engineering for LSI Logic.

A thanksgiving service will be held at St Andrew’s Church in Puckington on Saturday at 2.30pm.

Donations in memory of Robert for Sports Relief c/o AJ Wakely & Sons, West Street, Ilminster, TA19 9AA – Tel 01460-52576 or online ajwakely.com