Pilot arrested after crash in Elk Lake

Article by: Associated Press
Updated: June 1, 2010 - 9:00 PM

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A man who crashed his ultralight plane into a Sherburne County lake was arrested on suspicion of flying while intoxicated.

Neither the pilot nor his passenger was injured after crashing Monday into Elk Lake.

The pilot and his adult passenger were pulled from the water by a boater on the lake, said Sheriff Joel Brott. As deputies investigated the accident, they discovered the man was flying while under the influence of alcohol, Brott said.

Sherburne County and the Federal Aviation Administration are conducting separate investigations into the accident.

"We have strict requirements regarding alcohol use and flight," said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. "You have to abstain from alcohol for eight hours before flying. The official limit is .04 alcohol content. We don't want to see anyone drinking and flying."

Last year, eight pilots nationwide were cited for drinking while flying, according to FAA statistics through Nov. 12, 2009. Previous to that, 13 pilots were cited in 2008, nine were cited in 2007 and 14 were cited in 2006. Isham Cory didn't know the outcome of those cases.

Pilots who lose their licenses can apply for a new one, but the application process includes a medical assessment, Isham Cory said. "One of the things we look at is alcohol use and abuse," she said.

Drinking and flying is rare, she said.

"Airlines run random tests [for alcohol]," Isham Cory said. And private pilots who drink run the risk of being spotted and grounded before takeoff, she said. "You're talking to people before you do your preflight, you're observed as you walk around the aircraft and you often are talking to air traffic control."

MARY LYNN SMITH

The Associated Press contributed to this report.