Cessna 172M N61972 accident near Lakeland, Florida

Preliminary information

On April 05, 2026, at 0007 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M airplane, N61972, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Lakeland, Florida. The pilot and certified flight instructor (CFI) rated passenger were uninjured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that he was conducting touch-and-go landings at Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL), Lakeland, Florida. About 3 to 4 seconds after his ninth takeoff, the airplane pitched up uncontrollably to an unusually high attitude. The pilot attempted to pitch the nose of the airplane down; by applying full forward pressure to the control yoke. Realizing the flap switch was in the down position, he moved it up but still struggled to correct for the nose high attitude.

The CFI rated passenger assisted the pilot on the airplane’s flight controls, and together they were able to obtain a level flight attitude. The CFI rated passenger then retarded the throttle to idle, and believing the engine was no longer producing power, declared an emergency with the air traffic control tower. He then maneuvered the airplane toward a lighted airport cargo ramp near the departure end of the runway. The airplane landed hard between the cargo ramp and a taxiway, impacted a berm and nosed over, coming to rest inverted.

Surveillance video captured the accident sequence and showed that after touchdown, the airplane bounced, impacted the nose wheel on the ground, before nosing over and coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall, wings and vertical stabilizer.

The airplane was equipped with an Electronics International Incorporated CGR-30 engine monitor.

The airplane and its engine monitoring system were retained for further examination.

Text from the NTSB; a preliminary report can change and names no cause. Open the NTSB docket for ERA26LA159 for the full record.