Small Plane Somersaults at Gnoss Field

A Novato pilot crash landed at the end of a Gnoss Field runway Saturday afternoon and escaped with a cut on the hand, according to the .

Several people who were at the northern Novato airfield saw or heard the small plan crash at 3:43 p.m. and rushed to the south end of the runway to the pilot's aid, Battalion Chief Gerald McCarthy said. The rescuers lifted to the plane, estimated at 1,200 pounds, so that the pilot could extricate himself from the crunched fuselage, McCarthy said.

The plane, which ended up on its back about 50 yards from the runway, leaked less than a gallon of fuel into the marshland, McCarthy said. The pilot said he had less than 20 gallons of gas on the plane.

The pilot, whose name was not released, suffered a cut on the hand and refused transportation to a hospital.

The airport manager and a representative from the Federal Aviation Administration went to the crash site to obtain details for a report, but no cause was released.