Crime & Safety

Pilot Dies in Aircraft Crash Today

Deputies won't release the pilot's name until his next of kin are notified.

The pilot of an ultralight aircraft died this afternoon when he apparently crashed his homemade plane off of Buckeye Road and Grass Farm Road in north Manatee County, according to a Manatee County Sheriff's report.

Deputies responded to the crash at about 4:35 p.m. today and reported that the pilot was dead when they arrived. According to the sheriff's report, the pilot toof off from Airport Manatee located on U.S. 41 in Palmetto.

The sheriff's office is withholding the pilot's name pending notification of his next of kin. 

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The Federal Aviation Administration will not investigate the crash because the aircraft was a homemade experimental ultralight.


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