King Air Crashes: A Troubling Pattern of Fatal Accidents

The recent crashes of Beechcraft King Airs highlight an ongoing issue with the plane. The King
Air B200 at London’s Southend Airport and the King Air C90 in Fort Worth, Texas has once
again drawn international attention to the troubling frequency of serious accidents involving
Beechcraft King Air aircraft. Four people were killed when the aircraft went down at London Southend Airport
moments after takeoff. Two people were killed in Fort Worth near Hicks Field tragically echoing
a familiar pattern for this aircraft line.

The Beechcraft King Air series has long been considered a workhorse for air ambulance,
corporate, charter, and personal flights. Yet its widespread use has been accompanied by a
troubling number of fatal crashes. Many of these tragedies occur during takeoff or the initial
climb, critical moments when even a small failure can have catastrophic consequences.

A Pattern of Tragedy

Slack Davis Sanger has investigated and litigated numerous King Air crash cases over the years,
including two notable crashes that occurred during takeoff.

• Addison, Texas (2019): A Beechcraft King Air 350i crashed into a hangar moments after
  takeoff, killing all ten people onboard. Our firm represented multiple families in a case
  that revealed serious flaws in the aircraft’s engine control system.
• Wichita, Kansas (2014): A King Air B200 lost power just after takeoff and crashed into
  a training facility, killing four people. Our attorneys uncovered strikingly similar issues
  with engine control and design.

What We’ve Learned

In our experience, a disproportionate number of King Air crashes involve a common thread:
vulnerabilities in the aircraft’s power lever control system.

In both the Addison and Wichita accidents, evidence pointed to uncommanded movement of a
power lever, essentially one engine pulling back to idle on its own during takeoff. This creates a
sudden and extreme asymmetric yaw: one engine producing full power while the other produces
no thrust and significant drag. At such a low altitude, recovery is virtually impossible.

The King Air’s history shows that these failures are not rare or unpredictable. Aviation
authorities and the manufacturer have long known about these risks. Yet despite repeated crashes
with similar features, stronger safeguards and design changes have not consistently followed.

Accountability and Safety

The King Air has a long record of use, some of it reliable, but much of it troubling. Our litigation
has shown that flaws in design and oversight continue to appear in crash investigations. These
are not isolated “one-off” events; they point to systemic issues that demand greater scrutiny.

As investigators continue to examine these crashes, our attorneys at Slack Davis Sanger will be
watching closely. With decades of experience in aviation law, and as pilots ourselves, we bring
both technical understanding and legal expertise to these cases.
We remain committed to advocating for safer skies, holding manufacturers accountable, and
supporting families whose lives are forever changed by aviation tragedies.