Pilot OK After Marshy Crash in San Rafael

A Novato pilot whose small plane crashed Thursday afternoon in San Rafael walked away unharmed, according to San Rafael Fire Department and Federal Aviation Administration representatives.

The plane went down near the San Rafael Airport at about 4 p.m. Thursday, San Rafael Fire Chief Chris Gray said, and fire and rescue units found the plane in a marshy area near

Gray said it appeared that the plane did not hit any structures and that a preliminary investigation indicates that its engine apparently malfunctioned shortly after takeoff. Firefighters who assessed the plane found it mostly intact, he said.

FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the single-engine experimental Air Camper crashed under unknown circumstances and that the pilot, 65-year-old Mike Giddens, was uninjured.

The interviewed the pilot, who said he has been been flying for two years and tried hard not to hit power lines near the airport.

"I was trying to save the plane until the last minute," he told the IJ. "That's what we all do. We like our toys."

Giddens explained that he had just taken off from the airport off Smith Ranch Road in his GN1 Air Camper, which he had built himself, when he experienced engine trouble and ditched the plane in the marsh, according Marin County Sheriff's Sgt. Barry Heying.

He was the only person aboard the plane, and his condition was assessed by paramedics at the scene.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined there will be no investigation into the matter, according to Heying.

— Bay City News Service