Small plane catches fire after landing on nose at Sonoma County airport

A runway at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport was shutdown briefly this morning when a small plane caught fire after one of its wheels “collapsed” and forced the aircraft to land on its nose, an airport official said.

The fire started behind the engine of the Zodiac light-sport aircraft after it landed shortly after 11 a.m., airport manager John Stout said. The sparks were extinguished within a minute and little damage was done to the plane, he added.

“Fuel must have gotten on some hot metal,” Stout said.

He said the pilot, who was not identified, escaped injury.