N202DKBeech 95-B55 (T42A) · 1978

On July 9, 2026, at about 2248 central daylight time, a Beech 95-B55, N202DK, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Waterloo, Illinois. The pilot and pilot rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

Family of the pilot reported that he had departed St. Louis Regional Airport (ALN) Alton/St. Louis, Illinois, on July 9 with an intended destination of Smith Field Airport (SLG), Siloam Springs, Arkansas. A family member, who was monitoring the airplane’s progress on a flight tracking application, saw the airplane stopped transmitting position data partway through the flight. The family member became concerned that the airplane may have crashed and subsequently notified local law enforcement. The FAA issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT) shortly after. The wreckage was located by Search and Rescue personnel the morning of July 10. There are no known witnesses to the accident sequence. Local law enforcement reported that on the night of the accident, the area experienced a significant storm with heavy rain, lightning, strong wind, and low visibility.

Recorded ADS-B data showed that at 2226:06, the airplane departed from ALN on a southeast heading and climbed to altitude of about 3,800 ft mean sea level (msl). At 2238:28 the flight track data showed the airplane made a right turn to a southern heading and climbed to an altitude of about 5,000 ft msl. At 2240:54 the airplane made a right turn to a southwest heading and maintained an altitude of about 5,000 ft msl. At 2246:08 the airplane made a right turn to a western heading and descended to an altitude of about 4,500 ft msl. At 2247:41 the airplane made a left turn to the south and descended to about 4,100 ft msl. At 2247:57, while on a southern heading, the airplane climbed to an altitude of about 5,600 ft msl and its ground speed slowed to about 22 knots. At 2248:13, the data showed that the airplane initiated a descent, which continued until ADS-B contact was lost about 1,000 ft northwest of the accident site at 2248:40.

Figure 1: ADS-B flight track.

Examination of the accident site revealed that airplane’s wreckage came to rest in a field bisected by a line of trees about 4 miles southeast of Waterloo, Illinois. The tree line was orientated in a north / south direction and was about 30 ft wide with tree heights between 45 and 60 ft. The first identifiable point of contact (FIPC) was a ground scar that was about 8 ft in length and 30 ft in width. The debris path was oriented on a true heading of about 130° and was about 330 ft in length. The debris path extended through the tree line into an open grass field adjacent to the FIPC. The main wreckage was located about 50 ft from the FIPC within the tree line. Throughout the debris path, various portions of wing fragments, fuselage fragments, left engine, propeller blades, propeller hub fragments, and ailerons were observed. Additionally, several trees were damaged throughout the debris path. All major structural components of the airplane were located at the accident site.

The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.