N886DSBeechcraft B200GT · 2015

On March 22, 2026, at 1418 central daylight time (CDT), a Beechcraft B200GT (Super King Air) airplane, N886DS, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Sharp, Louisiana. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

A review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ADS-B flight track data revealed that at 1249 eastern daylight time, the airplane departed Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a cross-country flight to Dallas Executive Airport (RBD), Dallas, Texas. After takeoff, the airplane continued northwest toward Tallahassee, Florida, where it turned west after it flew over the Seminole VHF Omnidirectional Range/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC).

According to recorded air traffic control (ATC) transmissions, at 1359:13 CDT (all times CDT unless otherwise noted), the pilot contacted the Houston Center controller and reported being level at flight level 280 (FL280). At that time the airplane was about 4.5 nautical miles (nm) east-southeast of Gloster, Mississippi. The airplane continued west toward Alexandria, Louisiana.

At 1411:54, the pilot asked the controller to confirm his flight routing after the Alexandria VORTAC. At 1412:06, the controller told the pilot that the flight was routed to RBD via the DODJE 6 arrival procedure. At 1412:13, the pilot replied “okay, I’ll put that in here real quick here, six delta sierra.”

At 1414:47, the airplane turned west-northwest after it flew over the Alexandria VORTAC. After the turn, the airplane continued on a direct flightpath toward the next reporting point, NOBBL, associated with the DODJE 6 arrival procedure when commenced at the Alexandria VORTAC.

At 1417:20, the pilot asked the controller if he could “leave your frequency for about sixty seconds”. At 1417:25, the controller approved the pilot’s request and told him to report when back on the Houston Center frequency. At 1417:30, the pilot replied, “will do.” There were no additional radio transmissions from the pilot.

According to a preliminary review of the airplane’s cockpit voice recorder (CVR), at 1417:36, the sounds of clicks and rustling were heard in the cockpit. At 1417:42, the autopilot disconnect alert was heard on the CVR recording. According to a review of available track data, about 2 seconds after the autopilot disconnected, the airplane entered a right turn at an increasingly steep bank angle. At 1417:49, the airplane entered a descent from FL280 (28,000 ft pressure altitude) at an increasing rate of descent.

At 1417:53, the excessive bank angle alert was heard repeated six times on the CVR recording. According to the airplane manufacturer, at radio altitudes above 2,450 ft the excessive bank alert is activated at or above 55°. According to preliminary airplane performance calculations, when the excessive bank alert activated the airplane’s bank angle was about 55° right-wing-down while the airplane descended through 27,900 ft pressure altitude at a vertical speed of -2,100 feet per minute (fpm) and a -3.7° flight path angle.

At 1417:55, the altitude alert tone is heard on the CVR recording. At that time, the airplane was descending through 27,800 ft pressure altitude at a vertical speed of -4,250 fpm and -7.4° flight path angle, and the bank angle was about 65° right-wing-down.

At 1418:00, the landing gear warning horn is heard five times on the CVR recording. At that time, the airplane was descending through 27,000 ft pressure altitude at a vertical speed of -11,000 fpm and -18.5° flight path angle, and the bank angle was about 110° right-wing-down. According to the airplane’s pilot operating handbook (POH), the landing gear warning horn is activated when the landing gear is not extended with the flaps in either the UP or APPROACH position and one or both power levers retarded below about 80% N1. The landing gear warning horn can be silenced by pressing a silence button located on the left power lever. The landing gear warning system is rearmed when the power lever(s) is advanced sufficiently above 80% N1.

At 1418:03, the overspeed alert activated and continued until the end of the CVR recording. According to the airplane POH, the overspeed alert activates 3 knots above the maximum operating speed (VMO) of 260 knots calibrated airspeed (KCAS). Based on preliminary airplane performance calculations, at 1418:08, the airplane was accelerating through 265 KCAS as it descended below 25,000 ft pressure altitude at a vertical speed of -28,000 fpm and -43.8° flight path angle, and the bank angle was about 94° right-wing-down.

At 1418:20, the controller attempted to contact the pilot, but the pilot did not reply.

At 1418:23, the FAA ADS-B track data ended with the airplane descending through 18,200 ft pressure altitude at a vertical speed of -32,000 fpm and a -46.1° flight path angle, and the bank angle was about 66° right-wing-down.

After the FAA ADS-B track data ended, an internet-based flight tracking service, FlightRadar24.com, continued to record the airplane’s pressure altitude. However, the airplane’s latitude/longitude position, ground track angle, and ground speed were not similarly recorded. Calculations based on the available pressure altitude data revealed that the airplane’s vertical speed remained between -32,000 fpm and -45,000 fpm for the remainder of the flight. At 1418:50, the final recorded altitude was at 1,350 ft pressure altitude (1,250 ft above the accident site elevation).

At 1418:51, the CVR stopped recording. A summary of the CVR content applicable to the accident flight will be released as part of the investigation.

The airplane impacted a swamp located near the southwestern shore of Lake Rodemacher. Based on the limited tree damage observed around the impact crater, the airplane impacted in a steep nose-down pitch angle. The 15-foot-deep impact crater consisted of three distinct holes. A fan-shaped debris field extended from the impact crater about 400 ft. A swamp excavator was used to excavate the impact crater in search of airplane wreckage. The recovered wreckage from the impact crater and debris field consisted of severely fragmented portions of the airplane’s nose, cabin, cabin door, left and right wing structures, landing gear, and empennage. Fragmented portions of the right aileron, left elevator, left elevator trim tab, and rudder were also identified. No portion of the cockpit, cockpit flight controls, or instrument panel was discernable in the recovered wreckage. Neither engine was located during the excavation of the impact crater down to a depth of 30 ft. There was a strong odor consistent with Jet-A aviation fuel at the accident site. The base of two propeller blades and multiple small sections of propeller hub were recovered from the impact crater. Shards from composite propellers were located throughout the debris field. The recovered wreckage was transported to a secure storage facility.