Pilot, 78, Injured After Crashing Experimental Plane in Oak Hill Woods

Date Added: February 01, 2023 3:51 pm

Laura Williams
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

PILOT, 78, SERIOUSLY INJURED AFTER HOMEMADE AIRCRAFT CRASHES IN OAK HILL WOODS

A 78-year-old male pilot was seriously injured after his ultralight airplane crashed in woods off Maytown Road in Oak Hill.

The pilot had just taken off from a nearby private airport Monday around 5 p.m. Volusia sheriff’s deputies responded to the crash site, which was found near a home in the 1400 block of Maytown Road. Parts of the homemade aircraft were found in trees 15-20 feet off the ground, while other parts of the fuselage were strewn in the woods.

Rescuers had to extricate the pilot, who was identified as Vincent Grasso of Palm Bay. Grasso had serious injuries and was flown by Air One to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach where he was last reported in stable condition.

Witnesses told deputies they heard the airplane and saw it make two large hard left bank turns, then backfire and the engine cut off. The airplane disappeared below the tree line and one witness said she heard a loud noise upon impact. Homeowners arrived at the crash site and spotted the plane positioned upside down in a tree. The pilot appeared to be unconscious and was still strapped in his seat in the cabin.

After the pilot was rescued, the wreckage of the home-built “Legal Eagle” ultralight aircraft was removed from the scene.