Piper PA-28-181 N658FT

Summary

On 6 March 2026 at about 14:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N658FT, operated by Florida Institute of Technology Inc, was involved in an accident near Chuluota, Florida, United States. 2 people were 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

6 March 2026 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Chuluota, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Orlando Sanford Intl (SFB)

Coordinates

28.6670, -81.1037

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N658FT

Category

Airplane

Year built

2024

Engines

1

Operator

Florida Institute of Technology Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sanford → Melbourne

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA26LA142

Nobody was injured.

An in-flight collision with a bird while enroute.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.