- Date
- April 1, 2026, 16:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Fellsmere, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8583NPiper PA28R
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 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
- 20260401003279A
- Case key
- 202761
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 descending to land at an airport.
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 while returning to the airport from a lesson, both he and the student saw a medium-sized bird at their 12 o’clock position. The airplane was descending through 1,400 feet mean sea level when the bird dove into their flight path, impacting the left wing’s leading edge. The student continued to the airport as the pilot flying and landed without further incident. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the left wing had been substantially damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8583N
- Reported as
- Piper PA28R (201)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2844161
- Built
- 2016
- Airframe hours
- 4,154.1
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Skyborne Airline Academy Inc
- Registered owner
- Skyborne Airline Academy Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 27, 2026 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- VRB · Vero Beach, FL
- Airport
- VRB · Vero Beach Regional Airport
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 7, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,298 total · 147 in this make and model · 1,159 as pilot in command · 259 in the last 90 days · 72 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 3, 2026
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 128 total · 19 in this make and model · 65 as pilot in command · 78 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB, 11 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KVRB 012053Z 11011KT 10SM FEW032 SCT042 BKN049 24/17 A3017 RMK AO2 SLP215 T02440172 58020=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 9, 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.