A small plane registered to a Vallejo man made an emergency landing in a marsh this morning after its pilot apparently had engine problems while taking off from nearby San Rafael Airport, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.
The pilot, the lone occupant of the plane, crashed just after 11 a.m. after taking off from the airport located at 400 Smith Ranch Road, according to San Rafael Fire Chief Chris Gray.
The pilot walked away from the crash with only minor injuries, Gray said. The plane sustained minor damage.
San Rafael Battalion Chief Jeff Buscher said the man was evaluated at the crash site and decided to seek medical treatment on his own.
It appears the pilot maneuvered a controlled crash that landed the aircraft belly down into a marsh. The plane then hit a ditch and spun around, Buscher said.
According to the FAA, the aircraft was registered to Keith Sherman, a Vallejo resident, but authorities were not yet saying this afternoon whether he was the pilot on the plane.
The damaged plane was resting underneath PG&E wires near the airport as of 12:15 p.m., Buscher said.
Fire crews were monitoring any fuel that may be leaking from the craft, he said.
--Bay City News Service
