# Incident 20260424005139I: Cessna 172K, Menard, TX, April 24, 2026

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 24, 2026, 14:00 local time
- Place: Menard, TX
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 30.9184° N, 99.7837° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Menard, TX, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.9184&lon=-99.7837&mi=10
- Aircraft: N79302, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N79302) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172K (registry code 2072430, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172k) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172K
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 775 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260424005139I

## Narrative

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

ON APRIL 24, 2026, AT APPROXIMATELY 1700 LOCAL TIME, A CESSNA 172, LANDED ON A ROAD NEAR 13003 FM 2291 DUE TO ENGINE TROUBLE. FLYING AT APPROXIMATELY 1,000 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL AND 12 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE KIMBLE COUNTY AIRPORT (KJCT), NOTICED ENGINE TROUBLE. THE AIRCRAFT'S ALTITUDE WAS 3,200 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL) WHEN THE ISSUE BEGAN. THE PILOT INITIALLY FELT A SHAKING IN THE ENGINE, FOLLOWED BY A CLATTERING SOUND, AS THE ENGINE’S REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE (RPM), SET AT 2,400, BEGAN TO REDUCE AUTOMATICALLY. BEFORE THE ENGINE TROUBLE, THE MIXTURE WAS APPROPRIATELY LEANED.

IN RESPONSE TO THE ENGINE ISSUE, THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY APPLIED FULL MIXTURE AND CARBURETOR HEAT, CHECKED BOTH MAGNETOS, AND NOTED NO DIFFERENCE IN ENGINE PERFORMANCE. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS SET TO "BOTH." OIL TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE WERE CHECKED AT THE ONSET OF THE PROBLEMS, SHOWING NO OVERHEATING AND NORMAL PRESSURE ("IN THE GREEN"), BUT WERE NOT MONITORED FURTHER AS THE PILOT CONCENTRATED ON LANDING THE AIRCRAFT SAFELY. TO MITIGATE THE WORSENING SHAKING AND CLATTERING, THE PILOT REDUCED THE POWER TO APPROXIMATELY 1,600 RPM. HOWEVER, AT THIS LOW RPM SETTING, MAINTAINING ALTITUDE WAS NOT POSSIBLE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE PILOT SEARCHED FOR A SUITABLE EMERGENCY LANDING SPOT AND IDENTIFIED FM 2291, A ROAD DIRECTLY BELOW. DUE TO THE INCREASINGLY SEVERE TERRAIN BETWEEN THE AIRCRAFT’S POSITION AND KJCT, TURNING TOWARDS THE AIRPORT WAS DEEMED TOO RISKY.

THE PILOT EXECUTED A NO-FLAP LANDING ON A STRAIGHT, NORTHBOUND STRETCH OF FM 2291, AVOIDING POWER LINES AND TREE OVERGROWTH. AFTER LANDING, THE PILOT TAXIED APPROXIMATELY 1-2 MILES NORTH ALONG THE ROAD TO FIND A SUITABLE PARKING AREA, EVENTUALLY STOPPING AT A LARGE DRIVEWAY ENTRANCE ON FM 2291. FOLLOWING THE LANDING, THE PILOT SECURED THE AIRCRAFT BY TURNING OFF THE FUEL SELECTOR AND AWAITED THE ARRIVAL OF A SHERIFF. IN THE MEANTIME, THE PILOT RE-SUMPED THE FUEL, DISCOVERING NO WATER OR CONTAMINANTS, AND CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL, WHICH REMAINED CONSISTENT WITH THE PRE-FLIGHT LEVEL. A LIMITED INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE BAY REVEALED NO OBVIOUS SIGNS OF DAMAGE OR OIL LEAKAGE. THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS, FROM THE FIRST SIGN OF ENGINE TROUBLE TO THE LANDING, OCCURRED OVER APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MINUTES.

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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