Man on 50-Day Alcohol Bender Tries to Open Emergency Airplane Exit

Who knew a casual 50-day bender could lead to lucid mirages of airplane fires and maniacal behavior? A Ukrainian booze hound found this out the hard way while capping off his alcohol marathon during a flight from Boston to Salt Lake City, the final leg of his transcontinental flight.

A Ukrainian man returning from a trip during which he “got drunk and stayed drunk for the entire 50 days,” according to court papers, faces federal charges after attempting to open an emergency exit moments after his flight landed. Details of the commotion are contained in a federal complaint filed by the U.S. attorney in Utah.

The complaint says that as the plane was descending, Anatoliy N. Baranovich, 46, woke and started yelling in Russian that the wing of the aircraft was on fire.

Baranovich was returning from Ukraine to visit family, where the 50-day bender began. And it’s not even time for the holidays yet. That must be one miserable group of Ukrainians. I wonder if he’ll switch to hallucinogenics for Christmas break.

Baranovich faces charges of damaging and disabling an aircraft and interference with a flight crew. Each charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

[Source]

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  1. “Baranovich’s rough homecoming came after a trip to visit family in Ukraine, where he was planning to start building a house. But those building plans fell through.”

    13 years ago at 10:07 am