The wreckage of a plane identified as the one that was being flown by a missing entrepreneur and winery owner was discovered Friday afternoon, ending a day-and-a-half-long search in a remote area near Placerville.

Robert Henderson “Budge” Brown Sr., 78, of Gardnerville, Nev., was reported missing by his son Wednesday evening after he failed to arrive in Tracy following a brief plane trip from Minden, Nev., as Lake County News has reported.

His son, Jeff Brown, confirmed late Friday that his father's plane was discovered by searchers earlier in the afternoon, a discovery he was notified of at around 4:30 p.m.

A body also was discovered in the wreckage, but it has yet to be positively identified, Jeff Brown said.

Budge Brown was a respected businessman and member of the wine industry, who owned wineries in Nevada and in California, including Tulip Hill Winery in Nice.

He had been expected in Tracy at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, his son said. He had flown the route hundreds of times in his 33 years as a pilot.

Sheriff's officials said there had been no emergency radio traffic received from Budge Brown and no emergency locator transmitter from his plane. Jeff Brown said his father didn't have a flight plan, which is recommended but not required.

The Amador County Sheriff's Office's Search and Rescue Nordic Team, assisted by the Civil Air Patrol and the California Highway Patrol, had conducted a search since early Thursday morning in the southeastern area of Amador County within the El Dorado National Forest, officials reported.

It was there that Brown's Lancair, composite, single engine airplane – which had been tracked by radar – had reportedly dropped from 15,000 to 12,000 feet in altitude before falling off the radar at the 11,000-foot level over the national forest.

The sheriff's office said the Civil Air Patrol had identified the search area based on analysis of radar data and experience with past aircraft accidents.

The region still has snow on the ground, with the Civil Air Patrol said presented “somewhat of a challenge” in the search for the white aircraft.

Ground and snowmobile teams, Civil Air Patrol aircraft and two CHP helicopters were involved in the search, as the area was heavily wooded and covered with 6 to 10 feet of snow, according to an Amador County Sheriff's Office report.

Civil Air Patrol flight crews flew in from Concord, Sacramento, Auburn and Redding with additional aircraft from across the state on alert to assist, and mission management and operations staff working from locations the length of the state, the agency said.

They flew a route search, which meant they were flying the entire path that the plane was to have taken from Minden and Tracy, based upon radar data and other intelligence, according to the Civil Air Patrol.

The Civil Air Patrol said that by Thursday evening four of its planes had flown more than 20 hours on five sorties to find Brown's plane.

On Friday the Civil Air Patrol reported that the search area was expanded, with several of its search aircraft looking for the missing plane in the morning.

 

Finally, on Friday afternoon, the plane was found. “They found it within a mile of where they thought he was down,” Jeff Brown said.

While a body was discovered inside the plane, “They haven't told me whether it's my dad or not,” Jeff Brown said.

He said authorities must still positively identify the body. They will then conduct an investigation into the reasons for the crash.

Brown's friends in the Lake County community expressed their sadness at the crash on Friday.

Lake County Winegrape Commission Executive Director Shannon Gunier called Budge Brown “a great guy” who was generous in his involvement in the community.

Wilda Shock, a member of the Lake County Wine Alliance board, said Budge Brown was the honorary chair of the 2010 Lake County Wine Auction, presented last September at Ceago Vinegarden, neighboring property to his Tulip Hill Winery.

His philanthropy and his support of cancer research were honored during the annual charity event that benefits numerous Lake County nonprofit organizations, she said.

On Budge Brown's Facebook page, “Live to love life” was listed as his favorite quotation.

Jeff Brown said it's not really sunk in yet that his father is gone.

He said he and his father were really close.

“I'm really saddened by him not being here anymore,” he said.

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