Slack Davis Sanger Investigating Fatal Beechcraft King Air B200 Crash in London
On July 13, 2025, a Beechcraft King Air B200 crashed shortly after takeoff near London, killing all onboard. The tragic crash has drawn attention across the aviation community, particularly due to the model’s troubling safety record and history of uncommanded power lever movement on takeoff, causing crashes.
While the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) leads the inquiry, Slack Davis Sanger’s aviation attorneys are closely monitoring the investigation as the firm has been involved in two prior similar crashes. As a result of the prior work, the firm has developed several safer alternative designs for the power lever system that would prevent these crashes.
The prior crashes the firm has represented clients in are:
- In Wichita, Kansas (2014), a King Air B200 lost power after takeoff and crashed into a building, killing four people and destroying a building and its contents.
- In Addison, Texas (2019), a King Air 350i crashed into a hangar moments after takeoff, killing all ten people onboard. Our firm represented multiple families in claims against the operator and manufacturer, citing design and mechanical failures.
Ladd Sanger, managing partner of Slack Davis Sanger’s Dallas office and a board-certified aviation attorney, noted, “When a King Air departs from controlled flight right after takeoff, it often points to uncommanded power lever movement, which also disables the autofeather safety feature. These are design flaws that should have been fixed years ago.”
With over 30 years of experience and hundreds of aviation cases handled, our team brings both legal and technical insight to these complex investigations. Ladd Sanger and Mike Slack, our founding partner, are both licensed pilots with extensive backgrounds in aviation litigation.
Slack Davis Sanger will continue to follow the investigation as UK authorities and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) begin their work. As a result of a similar King Air crash in Blackbushe, UK, in 2020, the AAIB identified uncommanded power lever movement as a safety hazard. According to Sanger, it is likely the AAIB will take further action, perhaps even airworthiness directives, given the accident history of this problem. We remain committed to aviation safety and to supporting families affected by these devastating events.
About Slack Davis Sanger
With offices in Austin and Dallas, Slack Davis Sanger represents clients worldwide in catastrophic personal injury matters. The firm’s practice areas include aviation accidents, auto accidents, workplace injuries, product liability matters, class action, whistleblower, and wrongful death cases. For more information, please contact Rhett Whiting at Slack Davis Sanger at 512-225-5315 or rwhiting@slackdavis.com.