ERA26LA078

NTSB accident investigation · Beech B90 · Atlanta, GA · December 28, 2025

Accident · Serious injuriesClass 3 · LimitedPreliminary report
Date
December 28, 2025, 09:35 local (14:35 UTC)
Place
Atlanta, GA · Wooded terrain in a residential area
Injuries
1 serious, 1 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Approach
Aircraft
N40BABeech B90
Defining event
Approach-IFR final approach: Loss of engine power (total)
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Investigation ongoing
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Eastern Region Aviation
Parties
TSB, FAA/FSDO
FAA report
20251228020839A
Case key
202217

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Preliminary report

What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.

On December 28, 2025, about 0935 eastern standard time, a Beech B90 airplane, N40BA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Atlanta, Georgia. The pilot received minor injuries, and the copilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. The pilot reported that on the day before the accident flight, he instructed the fixed base operator (FBO) to fill the airplane’s fuel tanks. On the morning of the accident, FBO personnel informed the pilot that the airplane was fueled with 152 gallons of fuel. During the preflight inspection, the pilot observed the fuel quantity gauges indicated full. The airplane departed Miami Executive Airport (TMB), Miami, Florida, about 0628, under an instrument flight rules flight plan destined for Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), Atlanta, Georgia. The airplane climbed to about 11,000 ft mean sea level and cruised in clear en route weather conditions. Weather at the destination airport included low cloud ceilings, and nearby airports were identified as alternates. About 43 nautical miles from PDK, the pilot directed the copilot to calculate the remaining fuel, which was reported as about 112 gallons remaining. Approach control approved a request to divert to Dobbins ARB Airport (MGE), Marietta, Georgia; however, shortly thereafter, air traffic control reported improved weather conditions at PDK, and the flight crew requested vectors for an approach. The airplane was vectored for the instrument landing system (ILS) runway 21L approach at PDK. While configuring the airplane near the final approach fix, which included the extension of the landing gear and flaps, the pilot reported a total loss of engine power on both engines, accompanied by illumination of all cockpit warning lights. The pilot initiated a shallow right turn to avoid residential structures and performed a forced landing to a wooded area in a residential neighborhood. During the landing, the airplane impacted trees and terrain before coming to rest about 2.4 nautical miles northeast of the approach end of runway 21L. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its wings, empennage, and fuselage. The airplane was retained for further examination.

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Aircraft

Registration
N40BA
Reported as
Beech B90
Category
Airplane
Serial number
LJ-444
Built
1969
Airframe hours
11,922.8
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Positioning · Part 91
Operator
Lux Air
Registered owner
711bn LLC
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Continuous airworthiness · July 29, 2025 · 47 hours before
Departed
TMB · Miami, FL
Destination
Same as departure
Flight plan
IFR
Airport
PDK · Dekalb-Peachtree Airport, runway 21L, 6,001 × 100 ft, concrete
Equipment
Onboard weather, Handheld GPS, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
170° at 3 knots
Visibility
5 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
2,000 ft broken
Temperature
63 °F, dew point 59 °F
Altimeter
30.10 inHg
Observed at
PDK, 3 nm away
METAR
KPDK 281441Z 17003KT 5SM BR BKN020 OVC047 17/15 A3010 RMK AO2 T01720150

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.