Courtesy: Bemidji Pioneer
The Associated Press
BEMIDJI, Minn. - A 49-year-old pilot from Bemidji is dead and a passenger fighting for life after an ultralight plane crash near Bemidji Monday.
Beltrami County deputies were called to the Moberg Seaplane Air Base around 7:15 p.m. Pilot Jay Russell Davis of Bemidji was giving rides to other ultralight enthusiasts at the grass airstrip, and had taken 3 or 4 people up before the crash occured.
Witnesses say the plane was banking through a turn, apparently preparing to land, when one wing struck the ground and caused the plane to crash.
A passenger on the aircraft, 56-year-old Paul Jerome Wannarka of Bemidji, was badly injured and transported by Bemidji Ambulance to Sanford Hospital in Bemidji. From there he was airlifted to an undisclosed Fargo hospital.
This aircraft is described as a "tricycle" style plane with seating for the pilot and one passenger position behind the pilot. Both the pilot and passenger were strapped into their seats at the time of the crash.
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