ANC26LA088

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 172L · Micanopy, FL · August 18, 2026

Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedPreliminary report
Date
August 18, 2026, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
Place
Micanopy, FL · Swamp
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Maneuvering
Aircraft
N3866QCessna 172L
Defining event
Maneuvering: Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Investigation ongoing
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Alaska Regional Office
Parties
FAA
Case key
203658

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

On this page

Preliminary report

What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.

On August 18, 2026 at 1100 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172L, N3866Q, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Micanopy, Florida. The flight instructor and student pilot were uninjured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The flight instructor reported that during the power recovery to a power off stall the student pilot was having trouble pushing the throttle back in during the recovery portion of the procedure. The flight instructor attempted to demonstrate the maneuver and when he attempted the power on recovery the movement of the throttle did not increase the engine power. When the throttle was pushed in it would forcibly push back out on its own. They ran through their checklist as they attempted to return to the runway. The engine continued to run at idle speed as they made a force landing to a dry lakebed. During the landing rollout the nose wheel traveled into a marshy area and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. An inspection of the throttle control system is pending.

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Aircraft

Registration
N3866Q
Reported as
Cessna 172L
Category
Airplane
Serial number
17259966
Built
1971
Airframe hours
8,619
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
Ocala Aviation Services Inc
Registered owner
Ocala Aviation Services Inc
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
100 hour · July 3, 2026 · 50 hours before
Departed
KOCF · Ocala, FL
Equipment
Satellite tracking device, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
310° at 10 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
90 °F, dew point 75 °F
Altimeter
30.08 inHg
Observed at
KGNV, 13 nm away
METAR
METAR KGNV 181453Z 31010KT 10SM CLR 32/24 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP180 T03170239 51008 $