Beechcraft King Air 200/250/260

The King Air 200 twin turboprop has done a huge amount of work, and that is part of why its fatal count is high. Up to 3 November 2026, our data lists 115 fatal events in the family's whole history. The score counts only those from 2008 on: 26, more than the TBM and fewer only than the smaller King Air 90 among business aircraft. The type has flown about 5.1 million flights since 2008, so the raw count partly reflects how many there are. Its score is a little below those of the larger King Air 350 and the single-engine Pilatus PC-12, which rank just above it, but the likely ranges overlap, so the gap is small. With 26 counted accidents, confidence is medium, and the family's own record carries most of the weight in its score.

Who flies a King Air 200?

It first flew in 1972 and is still built as the 250 and 260. About 2,450 have been made, and about 2,200 are in service. They carry company staff, owners flying themselves, charter passengers, air ambulance patients, and cargo or survey work. Military versions (C-12 Huron) also exist.

The record by flight purpose

Of the 115 events, 26 count toward the score. Under our business rules, every civil flight from 2008 on counts, whatever its purpose:

Another 63 civil accidents happened before 2008 and do not count. The other 26 are left out whatever their date: 19 military, 5 illegal flights, 1 test flight and 1 aircraft shot down by a missile.

Passenger events show the range. On 19 January 2008, a Gira Globo flight hit a mountain in rain and fog near Bailundo, Angola, and all 13 on board died. On 21 February 2017, a Corporate and Leisure Charters flight crashed at Essendon, Australia, with five dead. Corporate flying has losses too: on 24 October 2004, before the period the score counts, Hendrick Motorsports lost all 10 on board near Stuart, Virginia.

Air ambulance work sits in the "other" group. On 29 January 2019, a Guardian Flight air ambulance lost control on approach and crashed into the sea off Kake, Alaska, with three dead; the NTSB could not determine why.

The most recent counted event is 22 March 2026, when a privately flown King Air 250 came down near Sharp, Louisiana, during a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Dallas, and its pilot, alone on board, died. Six weeks earlier, on 6 February 2026, a Machjet King Air crashed in floodwater just after take-off from Normanton, Queensland, on a positioning flight, killing its pilot. On 13 July 2025, a Zeusch Aviation B200 on a positioning flight crashed seconds after take-off from London Southend, with four dead. None of the three investigations has published a cause yet.

What the record shows about the design

Several records follow a pattern. In some, crews continued below minimum altitudes in cloud or rain. A second group begins with a loss of engine power on or just after take-off, including Wichita on 30 October 2014 and Long Beach on 16 March 2011. Ice or snow left on the wings features in a third. None of these points to a weak airframe. The aircraft is pressurised and has two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engines and a T-tail. A twin still needs a trained crew to fly it well on one engine.

Single pilot or two?

The type is certified for one pilot. Many owners and some charter operators fly it that way. On a night approach in bad weather there is no second person to catch a mistake. Some rules still require two: at North Caicos on 6 February 2007, in an accident before 2008 that does not count, an Air Turks & Caicos flight was flown by one pilot when two were required, and the UK AAIB found that a second pilot would have given significant protection against the disorientation it identified. The larger King Air 350 shares this single-pilot certification.

How to check a charter operator

• Ask for the operator's air operator certificate (AOC) and check it with the national aviation authority.
• Ask if there are two pilots on your flight, and whether the operator has an independent safety audit.
• Ask what the operator does in poor weather or at night. A good answer includes delay.
• Ask about the pilots' training on this type, including recurrent engine-failure practice in a simulator.

How to tell if you are on one

Flight trackers show BE20 for the 200, B200, 250 and 260. For a single-engine alternative with a similar role, see the Pilatus PC-12.