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20260810011359I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 172N · Deridder, LA · August 10, 2026

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 10, 2026 · 13:30 local
Place
Deridder, LA
Airport
Beauregard Regional Airport
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N75721
Reported as
Cessna 172N
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
540 total300 in this make and model225 in the last 90 days
N75721Registered now · Cessna 172NS/N 17267901Airframe modelCessna 172NEngine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Written statement from PIC

This is my account for what happened the morning August 10, 2026. It all started very normal and routine. My student preflighted the airplane while I oversaw. Fuel was good, oil was good, all other checks were good. I watched him taxi over to run up where run up and all other checklists were performed and all checks were good. We then departed runway 18 at kdri for a southeast departure to an area with light traffic. I told my student to climb and maintain 3000 feet. However in the climb at about 2500 feet I heard a popping sound (my student describes it as more of a knocking sound), with a sudden drastic RPM loss. We both realized right then and there that something was drastically wrong. I took controls and quickly ran the power loss checklist. After making it through all of that and seeing we were at 1600 RPM at full throttle and 7.5 NM away from kdri, we couldn’t hold altitude and either wouldn’t be able to limp to the runway or it would’ve been very tight. Either way there was a massive beautiful flat field right below us and I made the quick decision it would give us our best chance of survival. While holding vg, I contacted guard on 121.5 and declared an emergency. I circled the perimeter of the field counter clockwise while my student and I scanned the area for obstacles, fences, etc. When we got low enough I then made a left turn onto the field while trying to keep my nose up. We then touched down and came to a full stop very fast. Luckily neither of us were hurt nor seemed the airplane. That is my account of the privacy data omitted incident on August 10, 2026.

As the FAA filed it

WRITTEN STATEMENT FROM PIC

THIS IS MY ACCOUNT FOR WHAT HAPPENED THE MORNING AUGUST 10, 2026. IT ALL STARTED VERY NORMAL AND ROUTINE. MY STUDENT PREFLIGHTED THE AIRPLANE WHILE I OVERSAW. FUEL WAS GOOD, OIL WAS GOOD, ALL OTHER CHECKS WERE GOOD. I WATCHED HIM TAXI OVER TO RUN UP WHERE RUN UP AND ALL OTHER CHECKLISTS WERE PERFORMED AND ALL CHECKS WERE GOOD. WE THEN DEPARTED RUNWAY 18 AT KDRI FOR A SOUTHEAST DEPARTURE TO AN AREA WITH LIGHT TRAFFIC. I TOLD MY STUDENT TO CLIMB AND MAINTAIN 3000 FEET. HOWEVER IN THE CLIMB AT ABOUT 2500 FEET I HEARD A POPPING SOUND (MY STUDENT DESCRIBES IT AS MORE OF A KNOCKING SOUND), WITH A SUDDEN DRASTIC RPM LOSS. WE BOTH REALIZED RIGHT THEN AND THERE THAT SOMETHING WAS DRASTICALLY WRONG. I TOOK CONTROLS AND QUICKLY RAN THE POWER LOSS CHECKLIST. AFTER MAKING IT THROUGH ALL OF THAT AND SEEING WE WERE AT 1600 RPM AT FULL THROTTLE AND 7.5 NM AWAY FROM KDRI, WE COULDN’T HOLD ALTITUDE AND EITHER WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO LIMP TO THE RUNWAY OR IT WOULD’VE BEEN VERY TIGHT. EITHER WAY THERE WAS A MASSIVE BEAUTIFUL FLAT FIELD RIGHT BELOW US AND I MADE THE QUICK DECISION IT WOULD GIVE US OUR BEST CHANCE OF SURVIVAL. WHILE HOLDING VG, I CONTACTED GUARD ON 121.5 AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. I CIRCLED THE PERIMETER OF THE FIELD COUNTER CLOCKWISE WHILE MY STUDENT AND I SCANNED THE AREA FOR OBSTACLES, FENCES, ETC. WHEN WE GOT LOW ENOUGH I THEN MADE A LEFT TURN ONTO THE FIELD WHILE TRYING TO KEEP MY NOSE UP. WE THEN TOUCHED DOWN AND CAME TO A FULL STOP VERY FAST. LUCKILY NEITHER OF US WERE HURT NOR SEEMED THE AIRPLANE. THAT IS MY ACCOUNT OF THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INCIDENT ON AUGUST 10, 2026.