The pilot of a vintage biplane escaped injury Saturday afternoon after crashing near a runway upon landing at Petaluma Municipal Airport.
Petaluma Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin Hoover said late Saturday afternoon that the incident occurred at about 2:39 p.m. on the east side of the airport. A Petaluma police spokesperson said the pilot told officers that his plane was altered by a gust of wind prior to landing at the airport, located on Sky Ranch Drive.
The pilot said he made a correction before the plane bounced, turned off the runway, struck a concrete building structure and a tetrahedron, which houses the wind speed and direction indicator, or wind sock, before flipping the 1942 Stearman biplane upside down.
Hoover said the plane was taxiing on the runway when the accident occurred.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
Police said the pilot was properly using his safety equipment and said he was thankful he was not injured in the crash. He was able to extricate himself from the wreckage.
Airport crews worked to stop gasoline from leaking from the aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are working in coordination with the Petaluma Fire Department, the Petaluma Police Department and airport employees to gather information about the incident.
