- Date
- December 25, 2024, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Loganville, GA · On airport
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6665KAeronca 15AC
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- 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
- 20241225022459A
- Case key
- 199489
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 pilot’s failure to maintain clearance of trees during an attempted go-around in sun glare.
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 airline transport pilot was attempting to land when he lost his reference to the runway due to sun glare and attempted to go around. The airplane impacted trees, which resulted in both wings separating from the airplane. The pilot said there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that contributed to the accident and that the accident could have been prevented if he had tried to go around sooner.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6665K
- Reported as
- Aeronca 15AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15AC-533
- Built
- 1950
- Airframe hours
- 3,298
- Engine
- Continental O-300-A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 2, 2024
- Airport
- 6GA4 · Spring Valley Farm, runway 06/24, 3,000 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 70
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 22, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 3,164 total · 110 in this make and model · 2,962 as pilot in command · 11.3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- KD73, 58 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KD73 252055Z AUTO 10SM CLR 14/00 A3023
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 22, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 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.