# Incident 20260331004659I: Cessna 172S, Chattanooga, TN, March 31, 2026

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 31, 2026, 10:30 local time
- Place: Chattanooga, TN
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.0456° N, 85.3097° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Chattanooga, TN, within about 7 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0456&lon=-85.3097&mi=10
- Aircraft: N624B, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N624B) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Textron 172S (registry code 2072449, https://openairdocs.org/model/textron-172s) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (registry code 41597, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-l2a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172S
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260331004659I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON 03/31/2026 STUDENT PILOT BEGAN PREFLIGHT OF AIRCRAFT AND TOOK FUEL SAMPLES, AT WHICH TIME APPROXIMATELY 3-5 CC OF WATER WAS DISCOVERED IN THE FUEL SAMPLE. STUDENT PILOT REPORTED FINDINGS TO CFI. CFI TOOK ADDITIONAL SAMPLES UNTIL SAMPLES WERE FREE OF WATER CONTAMINATION. PREFLIGHT WAS COMPLETED STUDENT PILOT AND CFI CONDUCTED RUN-UP, TAXI AND CLEARANCE FOR TAKE OFF.

FIRST FLIGHT CONSISTED OF PATTERN WORK, INCLUDING APPROXIMATELY 6 TOUCH AND GOES AND ON FULL STOP LANDING. AIRCRAFT TAXIED BACK TO HANGER AND SHUT DOWN, STUDENT PILOT STATED THERE WERE NO OPERATIONAL ISSUES WITH THE AIRCRAFT. ADDITIONAL GROUNDWORK AND PRE SOLO EXAM WERE CONDUCTED WITH CFI. STUDENT PILOT RETURNED TO AIRCRAFT WITH CFI, REQUESTED CLEARANCE, TAXI APPROVAL, RUN UP AND TAKE OFF CLEARANCE. ONE TOUCH AND GO AND ONE FULL STOP LANDING WAS CONDUCTED. AT THIS TIME CFI EXITED THE AIRCRAFT FOR STUDENT PILOTS FIRST SOLO FLIGHT.

STUDENT PILOT REQUESTED TAXI AND TAKE OFF CLEARANCE AND WAS HOLDING SHORT OF RUNWAY 20 AT BRAVO. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES WAS CLEARED FOR TAKE OFF. DURING ROLL OUT WITH RIGHT RUDDER APPLIED, AT ABOUT 45-50 KNOTS STUDENT PILOT OBSERVED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND NOSE OF AIRCRAFT DIPPED AND BEGAN TO TURN TO THE RIGHT. AS LEFT RUDDER WAS APPLIED AIRCRAFT ENGINE POWER BEGAN TO RESTORE, FORCING AIRCRAFT ABRUPTLY TO THE LEFT. AN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO REDUCE POWER; AIRCRAFT DIRECTION WAS POINTED TOWARDS TAXI WAY DELTA. UNABLE TO SAFELY MAKE IT TO THE RUNWAY OR TAXI WAY DELTA AIRCRAFT ROLLED TO A FULL STOP IN THE SOD. STUDENT PILOT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT WITH NOT INJURIES. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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