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Plane Of Missing Napa Winery Owner Found In Sierra

JACKSON, Amador County (CBS / AP) -- Search crews have found the wreckage of a small plane flown by a winery owner that disappeared on a flight from Nevada to Tracy.

Amador County authorities say ground crews found the single-engine Lancair aircraft flown by Robert Brown in a remote area of the Sierra Nevada around 3:45 p.m. Friday.

Sheriff Martin Ryan said wreckage from the plane was strewn over an area covering about 300 yards. Personal effects belonging to the 78-year-old Brown, including his passport, were found in the wreckage.

The crash site is within the El Dorado National Forest, about 80 miles southeast of Sacramento.

Authorities and family members say Brown had left Minden-Tahoe Airport at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. When he failed to arrive in Tracy, he was reported missing around 8 p.m.

Brown was the owner of Cleavage Creek Winery in Napa County.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)

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