- Date
- March 6, 2026, 17:20 local (22:20 UTC)
- Place
- Sanford, FL · Orlando Sanford International Airport
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N697LHPiper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 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
- 20260306003799I
- Case key
- 202649
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 during initial climb.
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 following a successful landing, the student pilot had applied full power and began the takeoff and climb. During the climb, a large bird struck the airplane, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The flight instructor subsequently landed the airplane on a parallel runway without further incident. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N697LH
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2881686
- Built
- 2023
- Airframe hours
- 1,740.7
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Acron Aviation
- Registered owner
- Ff22 LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 15, 2026 · 1,741 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- VFR/IFR
- Airport
- SFB · Orlando Sanford Intl, runway 09L, 11,002 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 27, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,503 total · 728 in this make and model · 1,362 as pilot in command · 357 in the last 90 days · 148 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Last flight review
- May 13, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 105 total · 0 in this make and model · 55 as pilot in command · 0 in the last 90 days · 0 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- SFB
- METAR
- METAR KSFB 062153Z 10SM CLR 28/17 A3018 RMK AO2 SLP217 T02830167=
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.