Two killed when Van’s RV-7A kit plane crashes after takeoff from Petaluma Municipal

A Van’s RV-7A kit plane carrying two occupants crashed in a field on E. Washington Street in Petaluma on Wednesday morning, killing both people, shortly after taking off from Petaluma Municipal Airport at about 10:45 a.m.

Witnesses said the aircraft sputtered, dove and tried to turn around before impact, and the plane was fully engulfed in fire before emergency crews extinguished the blaze; the FAA identified the aircraft as a home‑assembled Van’s RV‑7A and noted a recent service bulletin for RV models issued on September 18, while NTSB and Petaluma Police investigators are expected to examine the site.