Cirrus Design CORP SR22 accident near Atlanta, Georgia, March 18, 2009
On March 18, 2009 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cirrus Design CORP SR22, registered N748CD, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Atlanta, Georgia (Cobb County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to maintain clearance with a parked airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 2009 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Cobb County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design CORP SR22
- Registration
- N748CD · registry record · serial 0086
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that after landing while taxiing on the marked centerline through a non-movement area, he made a turn to the right and the right wing of his airplane contacted the engine cowling of a parked Cessna 150. He further stated that he thought that the wingtip of his airplane would clear the nose of the parked airplane. The Cirrus sustained a crack in the fuselage floor where the wing and fuselage are joined together. The airport manager reported that the Cessna was incorrectly parked temporarily by an airport tenant. The Cessna was parked with the nose of the airplane protruding over a taxi line of an area that is designated to be an obstruction free area.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Ground collision during taxi (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusio › (general) › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,150 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 700 as pilot in command; 250 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 8, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,853 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2008; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BAK Columbis IN at 8:00 pm
- Destination: RYY Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Observation at 9:47 pm from RYY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.