Preliminary information
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.
Text from the NTSB; a preliminary report can change and names no cause. Open the NTSB docket for CEN26LA187 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- May 13, 2026
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Denton, Texas
- Nearest airport
- Denton Enterprise Airport (DTO)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 172S
- N-number
- N2134M
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2003
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
Other records under this N-number
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.