What happened
On October 16, 2025, a Raytheon Hawker 800XP, registration XA-JMR, was destroyed following an accident near Bath Township, Michigan. The flight was being operated by Aerolineas del Centro as a local area post-maintenance flight. The aircraft, which had been undergoing routine maintenance at Duncan Aviation’s facility at Battle Creek Executive Airport (BTL) since March 2025, required a post-maintenance stall test flight following inspections of the wing leading edges and TKS ice protection panels.
According to ADS-B data, the aircraft departed BTL at 1708 EST, entered a left climbing turn, and eventually leveled off at FL150 after receiving ATC approval for a block altitude between FL140 and FL160. At 1727, the aircraft began a rapid descent from FL140. During this descent, the crew transmitted a message in Spanish, which translated to "in a stall, recovering, sorry." There were no further communications.
The aircraft impacted the terrain in a relatively flat attitude in a wooded area approximately 9 miles northeast of Capital Region International Airport (KLAN). A post-impact fire destroyed a large portion of the main wreckage. The captain, co-pilot, and one passenger sustained 3 fatal injuries.
The investigation
NTSB investigators, including an aerospace engineer and a maintenance/airworthiness investigator, examined the wreckage between October 18 and October 22. Representatives from the aircraft and engine manufacturers, along with FAA safety inspectors, assisted with the on-scene examination. The investigative team recovered various components for further testing, and the wreckage has been retained for continued analysis. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was recovered and sent to the NTSB laboratory in Washington, D.C., for examination; results are pending.