Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172S near Denton, TX — 2026-05-13

Investigation ongoingCEN26LA187
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Date
2026-05-13
Location
Denton, TX, USA
Airport
DTO
Aircraft
CESSNA 172S
Registration
N2134M
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

On May 13, 2026, about 1815 central daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N2134M, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Denton, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that during takeoff roll the airplane hit something on the runway (later determined to be a gas cap from another airplane) that caused the airplane to become airborne below normal rotation (Vr) speed. The pilot stated that he attempted to reduce airplane pitch by pushing the yoke in, but the yoke was stuck and would not move. The airplane drifted to the left which the pilot attempted to counter with aileron and rudder input. Since he was unable to lower the nose of the airplane, and he was only about 5 to 7 feet above the ground, he elected to reduce engine power and the airplane impacted the ground.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Flight control sys malf/fail · Takeoff
View NTSB preliminary report

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