- Date
- March 6, 2026, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Chuluota, FL · About 10 nm southeast of SFB @ 1,000 ft
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N658FTPiper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Enroute-climb to cruise: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 14, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260306001869I
- Case key
- 202620
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
An in-flight collision with a bird while enroute.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor reported that shortly after departure, while enroute at 1,000 ft mean sea level, she observed a large black bird on their flight path. The flight instructor took positive control of the airplane and attempted a right turn to evade the bird, but the bird impacted the leading edge of the left wing before she could complete the evasive maneuver. The flight instructor continued to fly the airplane, selected the right tank and requested a long landing. She delayed deploying the flaps until immediately over the runway where they landed safely. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the left wing had been substantially damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N658FT
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28020183
- Built
- 2024
- Airframe hours
- 987
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Florida Institute Of Technology Inc
- Registered owner
- Florida Institute Of Technology Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- SFB · Sanford, FL
- Destination
- MLB · Melbourne, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- SFB · Orlando Sanford Intl
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Electronic multifunction display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 7, 2026
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,259 total · 141 in this make and model · 1,111 as pilot in command · 127 in the last 90 days · 65 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 25, 2026
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 180 total · 49 in this make and model · 60 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- SFB, 9 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KSFB 061353Z 12010KT 10SM CLR 24/21 A3025 RMK AO2 SLP243 T02390211=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 14, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.