Small plane crashes in eastern Manatee County

Federal aviation investigators are looking into the cause of a light-airplane crash Wednesday morning at a private airstrip in eastern Manatee County.

The three occupants – a pilot, co-pilot and passenger – were not seriously injured, but a small brushfire resulted. Fire crews from Manatee County and the Florida Forestry Service extinguished the fire.

The pilot of the single-engine Grumman Tiger AA5 was identified as 35-year-old Christopher Mischo. Timothy Vasiloff, 35, was identified as the co-pilot, and Alyssa Vasiloff, 34, was listed as the passenger.

The airplane, manufactured in 1977, was registered to a Sarasota-based limited liability corporation naming Timothy Vasiloff as its principal. Video from the scene appeared to show the airplane extensively damaged by fire.

According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the airplane veered to the left upon takeoff and crashed into vegetation near Bald Eagle Airfield along State Road 64.

Brush-fire fighting trucks, water tankers and the Florida Forestry Service responded to the 10:10 a.m. crash along with ambulances and fire engines. Conditions in eastern Manatee County are among the driest in the state, and drought conditions prompted a burn ban to be enacted earlier this week. Florida Forestry Service reported the brushfire to be about a quarter-acre.

Also known as Myakka Head Airport, Bald Eagle Airfield is near Wauchula Road. It operates a single grass landing strip, about 3,400 feet in length. It’s owned by YouTube personality Cleetus McFarland, who bought the 50-acre facility in 2023.

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Manatee County sheriff’s deputies and fire-rescue personnel were called to Bald Eagle Airfield in eastern Manatee County on Wednesday morning on a report of an aircraft crash.

Numerous fire-rescue units, along with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, were sent to the scene of the 10:10 a.m. incident.

Manatee County Commissioner Carol Ann Felts said three people were aboard the small plane that crashed into nearby woods and caught fire. There were no reports of serious injuries, authorities said. Sheriff's Department spokesman Randy Warren said the single-engine plane swerved to the left upon takeoff and crashed, igniting a small brushfire.

Brush-fire fighting trucks, water tankers and the Florida Forestry Service also responded. Conditions in eastern Manatee County are among the driest in the state, and drought conditions prompted a burn ban to be enacted earlier this week. Florida Forestry Service reported a quarter-acre brushfire was 80% contained about an hour after the crash took place.

The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified to conduct a crash investigation.

Also known as Myakka Head Airport, Bald Eagle Airfield is on State Road 64 near Wauchula Road. It operates a single grass landing strip, about 3,400 feet in length. It’s owned by YouTube personality Cleetus McFarland, who bought the 50-acre facility in 2023.

On his Facebook page, McFarland said the plane was carrying a pilot, a flight instructor and a passenger. He wrote he was told all were OK.