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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Bay Area man suffered major injuries on Friday afternoon when his single-engine airplane crashed into a vineyard outside of Lakeport.
The crash occurred shortly before 5 p.m. in the area of George Road and Mathews Road, according to radio reports. The plane involved was a single-engine, fixed-wing Lake Amphibious craft.
The pilot – whose name officials have not yet released – had taken off from nearby Lampson Field when he crashed into the vineyard, located on private property, according to Lt. Chris Macedo of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Tom Wasson of Tom's Aircraft Enterprises at Lampson Field said he saw the crash take place.
He and a mechanic from his business went to the scene, where a retired deputy sheriff who lives in the area opened the gate into the vineyard.
When the men arrived, they found the plane's engine still running. Wasson said he then shut off the fuel and the engine.
Lakeport Fire, sheriff's personnel and the California Highway Patrol responded to the crash site.
When they arrived, Macedo said they found the pilot, described as a man in his late 70s, conscious and complaining of pain.
“The medics on scene said he had suffered from multiple fracture to the arms and legs,” and also had a large forehead laceration, Macedo said.
The pilot, who Macedo said was from San Rafael, was the plane's only occupant, Macedo said.
Macedo said a Lakeport Fire ambulance transported the pilot to Lampson Field.
Radio reports indicated that at Lampson Field the Lakeport Fire ambulance met a REACH air ambulance. After the patient was transferred to the helicopter it lifted off at about 5:30 p.m. to transport the man to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
The crash site was secured and Macedo said he spoke with Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board officials to notify them of the incident.
“They're going to be sending somebody out, possibly over the weekend, to take a look at it,” he said.
Federal aviation officials will make arrangements to have the plane removed from the vineyard once they've conducted the investigation, Macedo said.
The plane's N-Number is registered to a San Rafael-based corporation, Laconia LLC. According to FAA records, the plane was manufactured in 1980 and has a valid registration through Jan. 31, 2014.
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