The homebuilt Van’s RV-7A went down shortly after taking off from Petaluma Municipal Airport, authorities said.
PETALUMA, Calif. — Two people died Wednesday after a small homebuilt airplane crashed in a field near a golf course shortly after taking off from Petaluma Municipal Airport, authorities said.
The Van’s RV-7A went down at about 10:40 a.m. Oct. 7 near Rooster Run Golf Club, which sits next to the airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said two people were aboard the single-engine aircraft. Both were found dead after emergency crews extinguished a fire that engulfed the plane. Authorities had not publicly identified the victims as of Friday.
Petaluma police and firefighters responded to the crash site near East Washington Street after receiving reports that an aircraft had gone down. Police Lt. Zilverio Rivera told CBS Bay Area that the airplane was fully engulfed in flames when first responders arrived. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within minutes, and responders then found the two people dead inside the aircraft.
No injuries on the ground were reported. The crash occurred in a field adjacent to Rooster Run Golf Club and across from the municipal airport. Aerial video from the scene showed badly damaged aircraft wreckage and scorched ground as investigators worked inside a secured area. Officials temporarily closed part of East Washington Street between Garfield Drive and Adobe Road during the emergency response and initial investigation.
The FAA identified the aircraft as a Van’s RV-7A, a two-seat airplane that is commonly assembled by individual builders from a kit. Federal records classify the model involved in the crash as an experimental, amateur-built aircraft. That classification describes how the aircraft was constructed and does not by itself indicate what caused the accident.
Witnesses interviewed by local news outlets described the airplane flying unusually low before the crash. One golfer told ABC7 that the aircraft appeared to be banking sharply before it went down, while another witness who identified himself as a pilot reported hearing what sounded like an engine sputtering. Those observations remain witness accounts and have not been identified by investigators as a cause of the crash.
Federal officials said the airplane crashed shortly after departing Petaluma Municipal Airport. The exact sequence leading to the accident remains under investigation, and authorities have not announced whether investigators found evidence of a mechanical problem, pilot error or another factor. Officials also had not publicly released the aircraft occupants’ identities in the initial reports reviewed Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The NTSB typically leads the effort to determine the probable cause of civil aviation accidents, while the FAA examines regulatory and operational issues. Investigators may review the wreckage, maintenance information, flight data, weather conditions, witness statements and other available evidence before reaching conclusions.
The cause of the Petaluma crash remained undetermined Friday. Federal investigators had not announced a probable cause or released a preliminary investigative report, and additional information about the two people aboard was expected to come through authorities as the investigation continued.