A pilot escaped serious injury when his small plane flipped on takeoff
Saturday at the private San Rafael Airport.The unidentified pilot managed
to climb out of the plane — a home-built Thorp T-18 — as it lay on its roof
in a field near the runway. He was able to walk down the runway to meet San
Rafael firefighters and paramedics who had responded to the 12:44 p.m.
crash, said San Rafael Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Rowan.
The pilot suffered minor cuts and bruises but refused to be taken to the
hospital for treatment, Rowan said. The airport was closed temporarily while
the plane was cleared from the runway.
