Pilot Survives Plane Crash Near Dumbarton Bridge

A man in his 50s walked away unscathed after his plane crashed into mud flats near the eastern end of the Dumbarton Bridge this afternoon, authorities said.

The pilot of a single-engine Cessna 140 reported a loss of engine power at about 12:40 p.m. after taking off from the Palo Alto Airport, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The man piloting the plane, a retired commercial pilot with about 30,000 hours of flight experience, was planning to fly to Illinois, but instead tried to turn around and make it back to the airport, Menlo Park Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said.

However, the plane didn't make it back and landed in soft mud near the bridge shortly after 1 p.m., Schapelhouman said.

The plane overturned after the crash landing, but the pilot, the lone occupant of the plane, managed to get out safely, Schapelhouman said.

An "Everglades-style" rescue boat from the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, the only one in the South Bay, responded and rescued the man, who appears to be uninjured, according to Schapelhouman.

The fire district is working with state Fish and Game and U.S. Coast Guard officials to handle fuel and oil that is leaking from the upside-down aircraft, Schapelhouman said.

The plane was carrying about 21 gallons of fuel and five gallons of oil, he said.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. Schapelhouman said authorities were still deciding this afternoon whether to remove the aircraft from the site or leave it there for federal investigators.

The plane is registered to a Menlo Park man, but it is unknown whether he was the pilot. The owner will ultimately be responsible for the cost of the cleanup, Schapelhouman said.