ILLINOIS PILOT CHARGED WITH FLYING UNDER THE INFLUENCE
A pilot operating an ultralight Challenger LSS airplane hit a powerline and crashed in the Kankakee River Sunday night. The 45-year-old pilot was found to have a blood alcohol level exceeding the .04 federal limit for operating an aircraft.
Witnesses reported that the plane was flying low over the river when it struck the lowest group of wires. The plan landed in the water upside down. Rescuers pulled the plane to shallow water and cut the pilot out of his safety harness with a utility knife. The pilot suffered two broken legs and a collapsed lung in the accident.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board is continuing to investigate the accident. The Kankakee County District Attorney's Office plans to bring the case before a grand jury in the next two weeks and expects to file charges against the pilot.
