The Region : Drunk Flying Suspected

A North Hollywood man was arrested on suspicion of drunk flying after his plane allegedly came close to colliding with an incoming plane near Whiteman Airpark in Pacoima, Oxnard police said. Sgt. Fred Berry said Ronald Lichnovsky was taken into custody after he failed a sobriety test at Ventura County Airport, where the pilot had safely landed his single-engine Piper. Lichnovsky, 44, was released on $500 bail. The pilot of the other small plane, whose identity is unknown, had to drop 400 feet in altitude to avoid being hit, Barry said. The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating the incident, which occurred shortly after Lichnovsky took off from the Pacoima facility.