Pilot from San Rafael Airport Crash Identified

A 37-year-old Sausalito man suffered cuts and bruises when he landed his Cessna 210 plane in a marsh near the San Rafael Airport on Smith Ranch Road Tuesday morning, a Marin County sheriff's lieutenant said.

The pilot was able to walk away from the plane and was treated by paramedics at the scene for a cut on his forehead, Lt. Jamie Scardina said.

Scardina said he is not authorized to release the pilot's name, but San Rafael Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Buscher identified him as Zack Kinsey.

Scardina said the pilot took off from San Rafael Airport and was at 700 feet when the single-engine plane experienced an unknown mechanical failure.

The pilot tried to land at San Rafael Airport but the plane lost power and crashed belly down about a quarter-mile from the runway, Scardina said.

The plane sustained moderate damage and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, Scardina said.

The crash was reported around 11 a.m. about a mile southeast of the airport located at 400 Smith Ranch Road, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

Buscher said the plane slid underneath high-tension electrical power lines and came to rest near a wooden walkway that is about three feet above the marsh.

One of the plane's wing tips was damaged when it hit the walkway, Buscher said.

The plane was still in the marsh this morning, Buscher said.

--Bay City News Service