Alcohol Involved In Brainerd Ultralight Crash | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Fri, Jun 26, 2009

Alcohol Involved In Brainerd Ultralight Crash

Pilot's Blood Alcohol Level Was Nearly Three Times The Legal Limit

It's just as basic as this, folks. It doesn't matter what you fly, booze and aircraft are a potentially deadly combination. That very fundamental rule was made painfully obvious when Jonathan Kurilla crashed his ultralight aircraft into Gull Lake near Brainerd, Minnesota. A post-crash test found Kurilla's blood alcohol level was .223, nearly three times the legal limit of .08. He now faces 8 criminal counts connected with the incident.

The Brainard Dispatch reports that Kurilla was flying the ultralight early in the evening when it crashed into the lake. His passenger, Estelle Paulson, was treated and released at a nearby hospital. Authorities were attempting to contact her to determine the true extent of her injuries. If they are more severe than originally reported, Kurilla could face additional charges.

The criminal report filed against Kurilla and re-printed in the paper says that officers asked Kurilla about the incident, and he said he owned and had been flying the ultralight at the time of the crash. Officers noticed a strong odor of alcohol, and asked Kurilla if he had been drinking. He indicated he had gotten an alcoholic beverage after crashing the plane, but that it was the only thing he'd had to drink all day.

Officers administered a field sobriety test, which led to a subsequent breathalyzer test and blood draw to test for alcohol. That is when they discovered the .223 blood alcohol level.

Kurilla has 6 prior DWI incidents on his driving record. We all know they teach us that "8 hours from bottle to throttle" lesson for a reason.

FMI: http://www.dps.state.mn.us/patrol/

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.12.25): Secondary Radar/Radar Beacon (ATCRBS)

Secondary Radar/Radar Beacon (ATCRBS) A radar system in which the object to be detected is fitted with cooperative equipment in the form of a radio receiver/transmitter (transponde>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.12.25)

Aero Linx: Australian Society of Air Safety Investigators (ASASI) The Australian Society of Air Safety Investigators (ASASI) was formed in 1978 after an inaugural meeting held in M>[...]

ANN FAQ: Turn On Post Notifications

Make Sure You NEVER Miss A New Story From Aero-News Network Do you ever feel like you never see posts from a certain person or page on Facebook or Instagram? Here’s how you c>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Of the Aeropup and its Pedigree

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Barking up the Right Tree Australian-born, the Aeropup is a remarkably robust, fully-customizable, go-anywhere, two-seat, STOL/LSA aircraft. The machin>[...]

Airborne 07.07.25: Sully v Bedford, RAF Vandalism, Discovery Moving?

Also: New Amelia Search, B737 Flap Falls Off, SUN ‘n FUN Unveiling, F-16 Record Captain Sully Sullenberger, the pilot who saved 155 people by safely landing an A320 in the Hu>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC