Piper PA-28-181 N697LH

Summary

On 6 March 2026 at about 22:20 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N697LH, operated by Acron Aviation, was involved in an accident near Sanford, Florida, United States. 3 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 22:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Sanford, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Orlando Sanford Intl (SFB)

Coordinates

28.7818, -81.2351

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N697LH

Category

Airplane

Year built

2023

Engines

1

Operator

Acron Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA26LA149

Nobody was injured.

An in-flight collision with a bird during initial climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.