Turboprop · Buyer's guide
Beechcraft King Air buyer's guide:
what the records reveal
Every number on this page is computed from official U.S. government records — the FAA registry, the NTSB accident database, FAA Service Difficulty Reports and the Federal Register — for the 2,860 Beechcraft King Air aircraft currently on the U.S. registry, and reconciled to the airframes actually in this fleet: U.S. registrations get reused, so records filed while a registration belonged to a different aircraft are excluded. Nothing here is opinion or marketing copy: it is what the public record says about this type, and what that means for your pre-buy.
The U.S. fleet at a glance
The FAA registry lists 2,860 Beechcraft King Air aircraft, built between 1964 and 2026. The largest concentrations are registered in TX (362), CA (222), DE (215). A large, active fleet works in a buyer's favor: parts supply, mechanic familiarity and comparable sale prices are all easier to establish than on a rare type.
Type specifications (FAA Type Certificate)
| Certification | Commuter / Transport (14 CFR Part 23 / 25, by model) |
|---|---|
| Engine | 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop |
| Seats | 6–13 (by model) |
| Fuel | Jet-A |
King Air spans several TCDS — 3A20 (90 series), A24CE (200/300/350 series) — confirm the exact TCDS for the specific model.
Where this fleet reports maintenance difficulties
FAA Service Difficulty Reports are filed by mechanics and operators when a component fails or malfunctions in service. Across the Beechcraft King Air fleet, 1,017 reports have been filed against this type since 1995 — most airframes have zero reports on file, with a mean of 0.4 per airframe. The systems mechanics report most on this type:
- JASC 32 — Landing Gear : 185 reports fleet-wide
- JASC 21 — Air Conditioning : 100 reports fleet-wide
- JASC 57 — Wings : 76 reports fleet-wide
- JASC 27 — Flight Controls : 61 reports fleet-wide
- JASC 34 — Navigation : 54 reports fleet-wide
Filing is voluntary, so these figures understate reality — but the RELATIVE weight of each system is exactly where an experienced buyer points the pre-buy inspection first. Reconciliation note: 4,602 further reports filed under these registrations were excluded because the aircraft model declared in the report shows they belong to previous holders of the same N-numbers.
The accident record, in numbers
The NTSB database holds 69 accident or incident records serial-matched to Beechcraft King Air airframes in this fleet since 2008 — about 2.4 per 100 currently registered aircraft, of which 10 involved fatal injuries (most recent record: 2026). A further 26 records filed under the same N-numbers belong to different airframes (reused registrations) and are excluded.
Method: the denominator is the fleet currently on the FAA registry. Airframes destroyed and later deregistered leave that denominator, so this ratio understates lifetime accident history — read it as a fleet-profile indicator, not an accident rate. Fleet totals also reflect how the type is flown (training and commercial work versus private use), not just the machine itself. 5 records without a usable serial could not be verified and remain included.
Fleet-level counts tell you about the TYPE; what matters for your purchase is whether the specific airframe you are considering appears in that database — and U.S. registrations get reused, so a serial-number check matters. That per-aircraft lookup is exactly what a TailGuard report does.
Airworthiness directives to know about
1 airworthiness directive published since 1999 in our Federal Register database and matched to this type is currently open. The full list of directives applicable to an older airframe is longer — build it at drs.faa.gov. The most recent in our database:
- AD 2012-21-06 · effective 2012-11-27 — reports of incorrect gauge wires used in certain wiring bundles for the cockpit electrical power for backlighting and instrument panel components
Superseded directives are excluded from these counts. Directives apply by type — no database can tell you whether a given airframe complied. Only its logbooks can, and that is the single most important paperwork check of your pre-buy.
Ownership turnover
Comparing monthly FAA registry snapshots from Aug 2023 to Jun 2026, 619 of the 2,860 observed Beechcraft King Air airframes — 21.6% — changed registrant at least once. This includes registrant-name changes that are not market sales — such as a transfer to an owner's LLC or trust — and newly delivered aircraft registered to their first buyer within the window. A recent ownership change is not a red flag by itself, but a rapid succession of owners deserves a direct question to the seller, and the registration timeline of the specific aircraft is worth reading before you negotiate.
Before you buy a Beechcraft King Air
A records-driven starting checklist for this type — derived from the figures above, to hand to your mechanic:
- Inspect the landing gear closely — it is among the most-reported systems for this type in FAA Service Difficulty Reports (185 reports fleet-wide).
- Inspect the air conditioning closely — it is among the most-reported systems for this type in FAA Service Difficulty Reports (100 reports fleet-wide).
- Inspect the wings closely — it is among the most-reported systems for this type in FAA Service Difficulty Reports (76 reports fleet-wide).
- Check logbook compliance with every open airworthiness directive matched to this type — directives apply by model, only the logbooks prove compliance.
- Confirm engine and airframe times against the logbooks and the most recent annual inspection.
- Have a licensed A&P/IA perform a physical pre-purchase inspection — no records check replaces it.
Check the specific aircraft you're considering
This page covers the type. Your decision is about ONE airframe — its own NTSB history (serial-verified), its own service difficulty reports, its own registration timeline and risk score.
Browse the data: Beechcraft King Air fleet records · Method: how to check any aircraft's history