- Date
- December 11, 2024, 02:30 local (07:30 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N981AGCessna 560
- Defining event
- Taxi: Ground collision
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20241211021399A
- Case key
- 199408
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The vehicle driver’s inadequate visual lookout while driving on a non-licensed vehicle roadway in restricted visibility conditions, which resulted in a collision with a taxiing airplane.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
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.
Analysis
The flight crew of the business jet was taxiing from the ramp to the runway at night after receiving their departure clearance. As they transitioned from the ramp area to the taxiway, they were crossing a non-licensed vehicle roadway (NLVR). A vehicle traveling along the NLVR collided with the nose of the airplane, substantially damaging the forward portion of the fuselage. The driver of the vehicle stated that she was aware of the signage requiring vehicles to yield to aircraft, and that when she didn’t see an aircraft as she approached the intersection, she continued to drive. She further described that it was dark and raining, but not foggy, and that it was difficult to see. She did not realize that the vehicle had struck the airplane until after the collision, and when she looked back after coming to a stop, she saw the airplane and its illuminated wingtip lights. She further stated that she had not anticipated encountering an airplane at that time of the morning, had become complacent, and that she should have been more observant.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N981AG
- Reported as
- Cessna 560
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 560-0466
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 1,489
- Engines
- P&W JT15D-5D, 3,045 lbs thrust, turbo fanP&W JT15D-5D, 3,045 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Aitheras Aviation group, LLC
- Registered owner
- International Aviation Sales Ltd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · August 24, 2024 · 142 hours before
- Destination
- TPA · Tampa, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ATL · Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B
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.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 20, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 3,304 total · 699 in this make and model · 2,777 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 5,712 total · 2,405 in this make and model · 5,431 as pilot in command · 74 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Wind
- 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.78 inHg
- Observed at
- ATL, 2 nm away
- METAR
- KATL 110743Z 23009KT 4SM RA BR SCT007 BKN012 OVC019 17/16 A2978 RMK AO2 P0007 T01670156
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 3, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.