LAKEPORT — A single-engine, amphibious plane crashed late Friday afternoon shortly after taking off from Lampson Field into a vineyard near the intersection of Mathews and George roads, near Highway 175 and not far from the airport runway, according to Lt. Chris Macedo of the Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO).
The pilot, a man who has yet to be identified, is in his late 70s and was the sole occupant of the plane.
Macedo said the man was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport by ambulance in serious-to-critical condition. According to Sheriff Frank Rivero, the man suffered two broken legs and lacerations to his face. Macedo said the pilot was conscious when emergency personnel arrived on scene and was complaining of pain. The plane appeared to lose power for unknown reasons, according to Macedo. The incident was reported at 4:51 p.m. when someone at the airport called 9-1-1. Units from the LCSO and Lakeport Fire District responded to the scene. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have been notified, Macedo said. Investigators from the FAA and NTSB will begin their investigation today, according to Rivero. Some minor damage to the vineyard”s grape vines and water system occurred, according to Macedo.
