- A Beechcraft King Air and Cessna 172 collided in mid-air near Florida Keys Marathon International Airport.
- Despite sustaining damage, both aircraft landed safely at the airport with no reported injuries.
- The FAA is investigating the altitude data and approach sequence that led to the incident.
(FLORIDA KEYS MARATHON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLORIDA) – Federal Aviation Administration investigators are examining a mid-air collision involving a Beechcraft B200 King Air and a Cessna 172 near Florida Keys Marathon International Airport on April 11, 2026, after both aircraft landed safely and no injuries were reported.
The collision happened during the approach phase near the airport, also identified as KMTH. Both planes sustained damage but reached the runway without reported injuries.
Flight data placed the incident at approximately 1327:13 UTC. At that point, the King Air was descending through 7,800 feet at 260 knots groundspeed, while the Cessna 172 was at 5,100 feet and climbing.
Other accounts put the King Air at 6,100 feet and 265 knots at the time of the collision. The aircraft nevertheless continued to the airport, where both landed safely at KMTH.
The King Air was identified as a Beechcraft B200, registration N699BW, operated by Beech Transport LLC. A registration for the Cessna 172 was not listed.
FAA investigators are handling the case under the agency’s protocols for general aviation incidents. No injuries were reported aboard either aircraft.
The known facts are narrow but unusual. Two aircraft made contact in the air near a controlled destination, both took damage, and both crews still completed landings at the same airport.
That sequence places early attention on the final portion of the flights, where aircraft descending toward an airport must share limited airspace. The event occurred during approach, not after touchdown or on the ground.
The Beechcraft B200 King Air is the only aircraft in the incident identified with a registration and operator. That airplane, N699BW, was flying for Beech Transport LLC when it collided with the Cessna.
Accounts tied to the incident describe the smaller aircraft only as a Cessna 172. No pilot identities had been released, and no preliminary findings from the National Transportation Safety Board had been reported.
The altitude figures show the two aircraft at different heights immediately before the collision. One account placed the King Air descending through 7,800 feet while the Cessna climbed through 5,100 feet; another listed the King Air at 6,100 feet and 265 knots.
Those differences do not change the central outcome: the aircraft collided in the air near Florida Keys Marathon International Airport and both still landed at KMTH. Damage was reported to both planes.
Marathon’s airport sits in a corridor where general aviation traffic is common, and the aircraft involved fit that profile. The FAA classified the event within its general aviation investigative process rather than as a commercial airline accident.
No public account described the type of damage to either aircraft, the sequence of radio calls, or which part of each plane made contact. The accounts also did not identify how many people were aboard.
Even with those details absent, the timeline in the data remains precise. The collision occurred at about 1327:13 UTC, with the King Air descending at high speed on approach and the Cessna 172 climbing nearby.
That combination, descent and climb in the same area near an airport, will shape the factual reconstruction of the incident. Investigators typically examine track data, altitude readouts and the aircrafts’ positions as they converged, though the FAA had not released any findings in this case.
The airport reference in every account was consistent. The collision occurred near Florida Keys Marathon International Airport, and both damaged aircraft landed there safely.
Accounts also remained consistent on the outcome for the people involved. No injuries were reported despite the mid-air contact.
Incidents of this kind draw scrutiny because a collision in flight often leaves little margin for recovery. In this case, both crews retained enough control to reach the runway, an outcome reflected in the most basic facts released so far.
The FAA investigation now stands as the next formal step after an event that left two damaged aircraft on the ground but no reported casualties, involving a King Air, a Cessna 172 and a brief moment in the air near Marathon that both airplanes survived.
