SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) A man was injured when the small plane
he was piloting crashed Friday afternoon at the San Rafael Airport,
police said.
``Actually, our chief of police saw this happen while driving on
a road near the small private airport,'' San Rafael Police
Department spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher said.
Witnesses on the ground reported seeing the plane take off and
hearing its engines sputter before the crash.
``It appears the pilot turned around to try to come back and
land, but hit the dirt just short of the runway,'' Rohrbacher said.
Only the pilot was on board the plane, a Piper Archer,
four-seater, low wing aircraft.
Rohrbacher said he was transported by helicopter to John Muir
Medical Center in Walnut Creek with unknown injuries.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)