Wreckage confirmed as missing plane
San Bernardino County officials confirmed Tuesday that wreckage found on a treacherous slope below the San Gorgonio summit was from an aircraft lost Sunday on its way to Hesperia.
The single-engine Piper Cherokee plane was piloted by Douglas Ralph Bowles, 74, of Hesperia, authorities said, and carried three passengers: Bowles’ grandson, Joshua Daniel Chlebek, 28; Oludare Akinwunmi, 29; and David Rodney Helland, 60. The accident is under investigation by federal authorities.
Bodies were recovered Tuesday during a search of the wreckage by two coroner investigators and search-and-rescue volunteers, who rappelled into the site from the San Gorgonio summit, San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department officials said.
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