LAKE COUNTY — Local winemaker and philanthropist Robert “Budge” Brown was reported missing after the single-engine plane he was flying disappeared from radar somewhere over the El Dorado National Forest in Amador County.
According to the Associated Press on Friday afternoon, Brown”s son confirmed to FOX 40 that his father”s plane was found in Amador County.
Amador County Sheriffs, stated at about 3:45 p.m., members of the search team found the wreckage of Brown”s Lancair plane south of Bear River Reservoir in rugged, snow covered terrain.
Officials found the tail and serial number and confirmed the plane belongs to Brown.
Personal items were recovered in the debris, including Brown”s passport. The coroner was called to the crash site and recovered a body. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. Both the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration will conduct an investigation into the crash.
Brown, 78, owns two California wineries, Tulip Hill Winery in Nice and Cleavage Creek Cellars in Napa”s Pope Valley. Brown started Cleavage Creek after his wife, Arlene, died of breast cancer in 2005. The winery is his way of fighting breast cancer, with 10 percent of all sales going toward breast cancer research.
Loretta Byrne, the chief operating officer at Tulip Hill, said Brown is an excellent pilot.
Brown, who resides in Gardnerville, Nev., was flying from Minden-Tahoe airport in Minden, Nev. to Tracy to pick up a friend to go on a fishing trip. He left the airport at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Radar indicated that his plane rapidly descended from 15,000 feet to 12,000 feet. The plane disappeared from radar at an altitude of 11,000 feet.
Byrne said Brown is a brilliant, generous man and his family has made a lot of impact in Lake County. She asked people for good thoughts and prayers during this time.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14.
