Raley’s Executive, Company Pilot Die in Sacramento Area Plane Crash
Sep. 5—A Raley's supermarket executive and a company pilot died when the twin-engine plane they were flying in crashed into an orchard near Galt in Sacramento County.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office received a call about the downed aircraft shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday from the 12000 block of Christensen Road, about 4 miles north of Galt and just west of Highway 99.
"The caller advised that they saw a small plane go down and heard a loud sound," according to a statement from the Sheriff's Office.
Firefighters with the Cosumnes Community Services District and sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene and found the plane in a marshy area of a private orchard. Firefighters found the two deceased occupants of the plane in the wetlands area. The sheriff's marine enforcement detail recovered the aircraft and victims from the marsh.
On Monday, the Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified the men as Kenneth Mueller, 56, of El Dorado Hills, and Richard Conte, 68, of Orangevale ( Sacramento County).
Chelsea Minor, a spokesperson for the West Sacramento supermarket company, said Mueller was the company's chief financial officer and Conte its chief pilot. Mueller had been with the company nearly 14 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. Conte was a designated pilot examiner who accompanied pilots on their final flight examinations before obtaining or renewing their certifications.
"Our organization is deeply saddened and heartbroken," she said in an email. "At this time, we are focused on supporting their families, friends and our colleagues."
A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the aircraft was a Beech 58. Both the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @mgafni
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