Two Killed When Small Plane Crashes Near Petaluma Municipal Airport

Two people were killed Wednesday morning when a small homebuilt plane crashed in a field next to Rooster Run Golf Club, just east of Petaluma Municipal Airport, according to ABC7 and KRON4.

The plane, a two-seat Van's RV-7A kit aircraft, took off from Petaluma Municipal Airport at about 10:37 a.m. on October 7 and went down about a minute later, ABC7 reported. The aircraft had flown in from San Rafael earlier that morning. It came to rest heavily damaged and partially burned in a field near a busy roadway, and a nearby street was closed during the response.

Both people on board died. Their names had not been released as of Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

What Witnesses Described

A golfer told ABC7 he heard the engine, turned, and saw the plane "careening almost sideways" about 100 feet off the ground before it "went straight down." A pilot at the airport told the station he heard the engine sputter and believed the pilot was trying to turn back toward the runway. Investigators have not released a cause.

How Plane Crash Investigations Work

The NTSB leads the investigation of civil aviation crashes in the United States. Investigators typically document the wreckage, review maintenance and build records, look at weather and air traffic data, and interview witnesses. A preliminary report usually comes out within a few weeks, and the final report with a probable cause can take a year or more.

An engine problem shortly after takeoff is one of the most dangerous situations in small-plane flying because the aircraft is low and slow, with little room to glide. Experimental, amateur-built aircraft like the RV-7A are certified differently from factory-built planes, so investigators often look closely at how the plane was built, inspected, and maintained, and at the engine and parts that were installed.

Legal Options After a Fatal Plane Crash

Families who lose a loved one in a plane crash may have a wrongful-death claim against parties whose negligence or defective products contributed to the crash. Depending on the facts, that can include an aircraft owner or operator, a builder, a maintenance provider, or the maker of an engine or component. Aviation cases often turn on technical evidence, so preserving records early matters. California generally allows two years to file, and claims involving a public agency can have much shorter deadlines.

Scranton Law Firm has followed several Northern California plane crashes, including the fatal crash of a small plane into a Concord intersection.