WPR26FA330

On September 7, 2026, about 1720 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N734ZK, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near San Diego, California. The flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Preliminary ADS-B data showed the airplane departed Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (MYF), San Diego, California about 1615. The airplane remained in the local airport traffic pattern for the duration of the accident flight, performing nine left-hand visual traffic patterns to runway 28L. Airport and nearby business security cameras captured portions of the accident flight as the airplane approached the runway and as the pilots performed multiple go around maneuvers. Witnesses also observed the airplane and described the airplane as flying very erratically during multiple go-around maneuvers, pitching upward steeply after the go-around was initiated, flying very slow, and “stalling” before the airplane recovered. On the nineth approach the airplane can be seen in one of the videos flying low near the ground as it approached the runway, nosing over, pitching up and then nosing over a second time. The airplane then entered a steep nose high pitch attitude prior to the runway 28L threshold. The airplane appeared to attain about 45° pitch up attitude while about 100 to 200 ft above ground level. The airplane entered a steep left descending turn and impacted runway 28L near the runway threshold. The airplane came to rest on taxiway B and a post impact fire ensued. The wreckage was examined on scene. The fuselage, inboard wings, and cowling sustained heavy thermal damage. The inboard sections of both wing fuel tanks were partially consumed by fire. All primary flight controls were identified at the accident site. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit controls to each flight control surface. The engine was examined and the crankshaft was rotated in its normal direction of rotation. Thumb compression was obtained on all four cylinders. Equal movement of all intake and exhaust rocker arms was observed on all cylinders. The aluminum fixed pitch 2-blade propeller remained attached to the crankshaft propeller flange. Blade “A” exhibited rearward bending and torsional twisting along its blade length with its tip missing. Blade “B” was mostly thermally consumed by the post impact fire. Two sections of propeller tip were found between the initial impact marks and the main wreckage. Each portion of blade tip found was twisted, fractured, and heavily scored. No anomalies were identified that would have precluded the normal production of engine power.