Piper PA28 accident near Palmetto, Florida, July 24, 2026
On July 24, 2026 at about 12:20 pm local time, a 1974 Piper PA28, registered N44704, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Palmetto, Florida (Manatee airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s failure to maintain clearance from obstacles during low altitude maneuvering, which resulted in a collision with a fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2026 · about 12:20 pm local time
- Place
- Palmetto, Florida · Manatee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 151, built 1974 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N44704 · registry record · serial 28-7515008
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,575 hours in all; 430 in this make and model; 223 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 1,506 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 2, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 227 hours in all; 227 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 90 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 3, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,084 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 16, 2026
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 5,084 hours total
The flight
- Destination: PIE St Petersburg FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07, 3,120 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 am from SPG, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KSPG 241153Z 10006KT 10SM CLR 28/26 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP177 T02830256 10289 20278 53005
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – left wing damage
Photograph 2 – Left wing leading edge
Photograph 3 – Left wing leading edgeThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on September 11, 2026. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Instructor Written Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.