Pilot Arrested After Near-Midair Collision

A pilot who narrowly missed colliding with another plane after taking off from Whiteman Air Park in Pacoima was arrested on suspicion of drunken flying when he landed at an airport in Oxnard, police said Sunday.

The near-miss occurred about 8 a.m. Saturday, after Ronald Lichnovsky, 44, of North Hollywood, took off from the small but busy airport in his single-engine Piper Tri-Pacer, said Oxnard police Sgt. Fred Berry.

According to witnesses, Lichnovsky flew into the path of an incoming plane, forcing the other pilot, who was not identified, to dive 400 feet to avoid a collision, Berry said.

Airport control towers in the region were notified to watch for Lichnovsky. At around 9:20 a.m., he headed for a landing at Ventura County Airport in Oxnard, Berry said.

Police on Hand for Landing

“We received a call that an intoxicated pilot was attempting to land his aircraft at the airport,” Berry said. “Officers arrived in time to watch the pilot make a safe landing,” he said.

Lichnovsky failed sobriety tests and was charged with operating an aircraft under the influence of alcohol and reckless flying, violations of the state public utilities code, Berry said.

He was released Saturday night after posting $500 bail.

Berry said that the Federal Aviation Administration also planned to investigate the incident.

Flying under the influence of alcohol is also a violation of federal aviation regulations, which set a blood concentration limit of .04 for pilots, less than half the .10 maximum allowed for drivers in California. Oxnard police did not say whether Lichnovsky’s blood alcohol level was measured.

Whiteman Air Park, which is owned by Los Angeles County, handles about 150,000 flights a year and is home to 700 aircraft, mostly small private planes.

It is currently the only airport in the San Fernando Valley area without a control tower. The county Board of Supervisors recently urged the FAA to build such a tower, a request that was backed by the Burbank Airport commission. The commission noted safety problems between traffic at Whiteman and Burbank Airport, which are only three miles apart.