Houston man named as pilot killed in crash en route to Santa Rosa

The man was on his way to Santa Rosa when he crashed his plane in the Point Reyes National Seashore on Thursday.|
CHRISTI WARREN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

The pilot of a small plane that crashed Thursday in the Point Reyes National Seashore while flying to Santa Rosa has been identified as a Houston man.

John Rowland Wilson, 58, was identified Saturday as the pilot by the Marin County Sheriff’s Office. He was the only person on board the Cessna 172 when it crashed. Its wreckage was found Friday afternoon by searchers acting on a report that his plane was overdue after taking off from Santa Barbara County.

Wilson, an oil and gas industry consultant, received his pilot’s license just a few weeks ago and was on his way to Santa Rosa for a business trip in Napa, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

He was in California after fleeing Hurricane Harvey, which flooded the basement of his Houston home, the Chronicle reported, and was staying at family property in Santa Barbara.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.
Send a letter to the editor