A devastating plane crash at Gnoss Field Airport in Novato claimed the life of a solo pilot last Saturday when the single-engine airplane they were piloting struck a hangar and burst into flames. The Marin County Sheriff's Office reported the incident occurred around 3:50 p.m., having received calls about the crash and resulting fires that consumed the airplane and hangar.

Emergency units arriving on the scene confronted a blaze that fully engulfed the airplane and the hangar. Firefighters worked to extinguish the fire and prevent its spread to surrounding brush and neighboring hangar fuel tanks, which posed extra risks. The sheriff's office communication center had to manage anxious calls as the sky filled with black smoke. According to information released by the same office, the identity of the pilot is pending forensic postmortem examination as the plane was completely burned; the sheriff's office stressed the ongoing nature of the investigation, which includes work by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and noted that the wreckage was moved to a secured facility for further examination.

As the FAA and NTSB delve into the cause of the crash, they are collecting critical data, which includes flight trajectories, maintenance logs, and weather conditions at the time. Witness testimony and any camera footage will also be instrumental in reconstructing the events preceding the accident. Among the eyewitnesses, Scott Manley described the horrifying moments to KTVU, saying, "OK so for some context, I actually saw that aircraft hit the hanger after a bad takeoff due to winds. I ran to it and was the first person there. But there was already too much fire to get near it. Called 911 Only then did I take photos".