Piper PA-28-180 N55739

Summary

On 28 May 2026 at about 18:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N55739 was involved in an accident near Chesapeake, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 May 2026 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Chesapeake, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Hampton Roads Exec (PVG)

Coordinates

36.7808, -76.4513

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N55739

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Georgetown → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA26LA220

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper decision to continue with an unstabilized approach, which resulted in a hard landing, loss of directional control, and collision with a runway marker light and sign.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he made an unstable approach, after which the airplane landed hard and bounced. A gust of wind caught the airplane’s right wing during the bounce and the airplane veered off the left side of the runway. The left wing collided with a runway marker light and a directional sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing spar and punctured the fuel tank. The pilot was able to get the airplane back on the runway and aborted the landing. Once airborne, he smelled fuel, declared an emergency and landed without further incident. The pilot reported there were no mechanical issues that contributed to the accident and that he should have gone around versus trying to force a landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.