Amateur-built BIRD A accident near Senoia, Georgia, November 17, 2024
On November 17, 2024 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 1935 amateur-built BIRD A, registered N15641, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Senoia, Georgia (Big "T" 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 pilot’s improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing, and landing gear collapse.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 2024 · about 6:30 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Senoia, Georgia · Big "T" Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BIRD A, built 1935
- Registration
- N15641 · registry record · serial 1000
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the antique, bi-wing, tailwheel airplane stated that he was flying locally when he landed hard on the grass runway. The left landing gear collapsed resulting in substantial damage to the upper left wing and lower right wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,990 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 7,463 as pilot in command; 489 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 19, 2024
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 160 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 1, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 1,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kinner B54 (piston); 5 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from FFC, 4 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KFFC 171853Z AUTO VRB03KT 10SM CLR 21/09 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP203 T02060089
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
INVESTIGATIVE PHOTOS Photograph 1 – Left lower wing damage
INVESTIGATIVE PHOTOS Photograph 2 – Right upper wing damageThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 20, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N15641 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Kinner B54 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Big 'T' Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,801 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA25LA055.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.