Bemidji Ultralight Crash Kills 1, Injures 1
BEMIDJI, Minn. (WCCO) -- A 49-year-old Bemidji man died Monday evening in an ultralight airplane crash, police say.
The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office responded to the crash at Moberg Seaplane Air Base, a grass landing trip, located west of Bemidji off of 15th Street Northwest.
The ultralight pilot Jay Russell David was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger on the aircraft, Paul Jerome Wannarka, 56, of Bemidji, was injured and transported to Sanford Hospital in Bemidji before being airlifted to a Fargo hospital.
Witnesses said the plane was banking through a turn, apparently preparing to land on the grass strip when the wing struck the ground, causing the plane to crash.
Bemidji Police, Minnesota State Patrol Troopers, Bemidji Fire Department, Bemidji Ambulance and Beltrami County First Responders assisted the sheriff's office at the scene and with the investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration is also assisting with the investigation of this plane crash.
