San Rafael

1 dead, 1 injured after plane crash near runway of San Rafael Airport, sheriff says

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have announced they are investigating the crash

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A plane crash at the end of the runway at the San Rafael Airport left one dead and one injured Saturday, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office. 

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration wrote that the single-engine Cessna 172 crashed in a marsh just short of the airport at around 10:45 p.m. and had two men on board. 

Firefighters got both out of the plane and rushed them to the hospital, according to the San Rafael Fire Department.

The men involved have since been identified by Sgt. Adam Schermerhorn with the Marin County Sheriff's Office. 59-year-old Marc David Pankin, a Novato resident, died in the crash. The pilot, 73-year-old Kirk Harford of San Rafael, remains in critical condition in the hospital.

The two had left from San Rafael Saturday for business in Nevada and were returning when the plane crashed, according to Schermerhorn.

At some point, the plane also struck electrical lines and caused an area power outage, firefighters said. 

In the FAA’s statement, the agency said the flight left from Minden-Tahoe Airport in Nevada. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are both investigating the crash.

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