# Incident 20260428003159I: Textron Aviation Inc 172S, Mesa, AZ, April 28, 2026

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 28, 2026, 08:50 local time
- Place: Mesa, AZ
- Airport: Falcon Fld
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.4608° N, 111.7283° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at FALCON FLD (FFZ), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.4608&lon=-111.7283&mi=10
- Aircraft: N882LA, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N882LA) (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: TEXTRON AVIATION INC 172S
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-360-L2A
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 847 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260428003159I

## Narrative

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

A STUDENT PILOT AND CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) WERE CONDUCTING TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS AT FALCON FIELD (FFZ) IN MESA, ARIZONA. AFTER COMPLETING ONE LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED RUNWAY 4R AND, DURING CLIMB-OUT AT APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET AGL, EXPERIENCED AN UNCOMMANDED REDUCTION IN ENGINE POWER TO BELOW 1700 RPM.

THE PIC NOTIFIED ATC AND WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 22L. DURING LANDING, MAXIMUM BRAKING WAS APPLIED, RESULTING IN EXCESSIVE WEAR AND DEFLATION OF BOTH MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRES. AFTER LANDING, THE PIC OBSERVED THAT CYLINDER NUMBER 2 WAS SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER THAN THE OTHER CYLINDERS.

POST-EVENT MAINTENANCE INSPECTION, INCLUDING BORESCOPE AND COMPRESSION CHECKS, IDENTIFIED LOW COMPRESSION IN CYLINDER NUMBER 2 DUE TO A STUCK EXHAUST VALVE. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL REAMED THE NUMBER 2 EXHAUST VALVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE GUIDANCE, RESTORING NORMAL ENGINE OPERATION.

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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