Identity of pilot killed in Pleasanton plane crash confirmed

Thursday November 28, 2002

PLEASANTON, Calif. (AP) The pilot killed when his single-engine plane crashed into an isolated hillside near suburban Pleasanton has been identified as fund manager Robert Dowlett of Woodside.

Dowlett, 34, was the founder of the Millennium Growth Fund and the owner of the Beechcraft Bonanza plane.

The Alameda County coroner's office identified Dowlett Wednesday. Supervisor Frank Gentle said Dowlett was severely burned in the crash, which made identification difficult, but officials worked with the family and used dental records to identify him.

Dowlett was en route to Palo Alto Airport when his plane crashed and burst into flames. The aircraft left Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho, on Sunday night, officials said.

At about 1:45 a.m. Monday, the plane vanished from Civil Air Patrol scopes in Colorado. Air patrol dispatchers called local authorities, and search crews began looking at first light, Alameda sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jim Knudsen said.

An East Bay Regional Park police helicopter spotted the wreckage Monday morning, Knudsen said. Rescuers went to the scene, where they found Dowlett's remains.

The National Transportation Safety Board's Los Angeles-based regional office is in charge of the investigation into the crash. The NTSB is an independent federal agency that investigates civil aviation accidents in the United States.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)