2023 Hawker Beechcraft G36 Crash Near Buford, Georgia (N23VS)

Accident Overview and Flight History On December 21, 2023, at approximately 1714 Eastern Standard Time, a Hawker Beechcraft Corp. G36 airplane, registration N23VS, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Buford, Georgia. The private pilot was fatally injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. According to the pilot’s family, the aircraft was based at Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK) in Atlanta, Georgia, and the purpose of the flight was a local area flight. FAA ADS-B data indicated the aircraft departed PDK at 1701, navigating north at a cruising altitude of 3,000 feet mean sea level (msl). Approximately five minutes into the flight, the track turned northeast toward Lake Lanier, Georgia, maintaining 3,000 ft msl and a groundspeed of 160-170 knots. At 1712:32, the flight track turned east, and the groundspeed slowed to 98 knots. Subsequently, both groundspeed and altitude decreased as the aircraft continued east over Lake Lanier. The final recorded position at 1714:19 was 0.1 mile north of the accident site, with the aircraft approximately 100 feet above ground level, turning right (south), and a groundspeed of 70 knots.