2 dead after small plane crashes in field near Petaluma airport shortly after taking off, police say
PETALUMA, Calif. (KGO) -- Two people were killed Wednesday when a small home-built aircraft crashed in a field near Petaluma Municipal Airport, according to federal authorities.
The crash occurred around 10:40 a.m. in a field adjacent to Rooster Run Golf Course.
Witnesses said the aircraft appeared to circle near the golf course before turning back toward the airport, then crashed and caught fire near the course's first hole.
Emergency dispatch audio captured the initial response.
"Code 1000 at rooster run first hole receiving multiple 9-1-1..." a dispatcher said.
Witness Andrew Sabin was golfing at Rooster Run on the 12th hole when he saw the aircraft in distress.
"I saw the plane careening almost sideways. It was almost 100 feet off the ground," Sabin said. "It looked horrible. What I saw."
Sabin said he heard the airplane before seeing it descend.
"I heard the engine first, which made me turn around. It went sideways and went straight down," he said. "I didn't hear it through the trees. Heard a boom and then a big fireball afterward."
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Van's Aircraft RV-7A crashed in a field shortly after taking off from Petaluma Municipal Airport. The Van's Aircraft website describes the RV-7A as a two-seat, single-engine kit aircraft that can be assembled by individuals.
The FAA said two people aboard the aircraft were killed. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Another witness, pilot Goran Jelenic, said he noticed problems with the aircraft before it went down.
"I heard a sputtering," Jelenic said.
MORE: NTSB releases preliminary report on California plane crash that killed 4 family members
He said the pilot appeared to be attempting a return to the runway.
"Looked like he was trying to turn back the runway and turn really hard," Jelenic said.
Bob Kates, a marshal at Rooster Run Golf Course, also witnessed the aircraft's final moments.
"It came around and came up and circled around by the pro shop and turned around and headed back south again," Kates said. "It hit the grass here."
Flight records cited in the report show the aircraft traveled from San Rafael to Petaluma earlier Wednesday morning. The aircraft departed Petaluma at 10:37 a.m. and crashed about one minute later.
MORE: Amazon stops operations with 21 Air after deadly Miami cargo plane crash
Those at the golf course said the incident was unsettling, particularly given the airport's proximity.
"It's a little scary," Kates said. "There have been prior plane crashes here in the past. Scary that it's here near the airport."
The identities of the two people killed had not been formally released as of Wednesday. The aircraft was registered to Rodney Eshelan of Marin County.
Airport officials noted there have been several crashes near the airport and golf course in previous years. In one prior incident, a pilot crashed near the ninth hole and survived. A spokesperson for Petaluma Airport said two gyrocopter crashes occurred at the airport within the past year, though no fatalities were reported in those incidents.
Federal investigators are continuing to examine the cause of Wednesday's crash.
