Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA28 near Palmetto, FL — 2026-07-24

Final reportERA26LA284
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Date
2026-07-24
Location
Palmetto, FL, USA
Airport
48X
Aircraft
PIPER PA28
Registration
N44704
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s failure to maintain clearance from obstacles during low altitude maneuvering, which resulted in a collision with a fence.

NTSB narrative

The flight instructor stated that he was taking the private pilot on a familiarization and training flight. The flight instructor planned to fly to a nearby turf runway where he would demonstrate a soft-field takeoff. While departing from the turf runway, the flight instructor flew the airplane in ground effect longer than was necessary and then turned left crosswind while still at a low altitude. The airplane’s left wing subsequently contacted a barbed wire fence, and the wire wrapped around the wing. The flight instructor returned to the airport, landed uneventfully, and removed the barbed wire from the wing. He subsequently performed a preflight inspection, and after nothing that the flight control surfaces were operating normally, returned to the airplane’s home airport uneventfully. Subsequent examination of the airplane revealed the left wing had been substantially damaged. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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