@kpixtv: Two people died when their small plane crashed near the Petaluma Municipal Airport Wednesday morning, authorities said. The Federal Aviation Administration’s preliminary report indicated that a Van's RV-7A single-engine homebuilt plane with two people aboard crashed in a field shortly after taking off at about 10:45 a.m. An employee of the Rooster Run Golf Club across the street from the airport confirmed that the plane had crashed at the golf course. plane caught fire following the crash and firefighters arrived to extinguish the fire.