Pilot Killed After Small Plane Crashes Into Beaver Lake in Arkansas

Sweet was a longtime fixture in the northwest Arkansas aviation community and a driving force at the Arkansas Air and Military Museum in Fayetteville, where he served on the board of directors.

Rudy Blalock

Published: 2/26/2026, 10:26:41 PM EST

Pilot Killed After Small Plane Crashes Into Beaver Lake in Arkansas — A Cirrus SR20 single engine aircraft in flight over Santa Monica Airport in Santa Monica, Calif., on Oct. 31, 2015. (Philip Pilosian/Shutterstock)

A 61-year-old pilot was killed on Thursday afternoon when a small plane went down in Beaver Lake near Rogers, Arkansas. It is the latest crash in a string of recent small-plane accidents across the country.

The single-engine Jodell D-11 crashed into the lake near the Monte Ne area at about 1:30 p.m. local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Only the pilot, identified as Kim Sweet, was on board. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office said Sweet was recovered at the scene and did not survive.

The FAA said it will investigate the crash along with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which will lead the probe and release any further information as it becomes available.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office said its investigators are working alongside federal officials “to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident,” according to a Thursday post on Facebook.

“Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of Kim Sweet during this difficult time,” the agency said.

Sweet was a longtime fixture in the northwest Arkansas aviation community and a driving force at the Arkansas Air and Military Museum in Fayetteville, where he served on the board of directors. In a Facebook post on Thursday, the museum said it was “heartbroken at the passing of our beloved AAMM Board member Kim Sweet” and noted he had been involved with the organization since its inception.

“He learned how to fly at Drake Field, and he made it his mission in life to pass on that love of aviation to others,” the museum wrote. “He was a faithful member of our board of directors, a loyal volunteer, and a constant support. Whether we needed him to drive a vehicle in a parade, fly a plane for summer camp, assist in outreach programs, or just be a helping hand, he was there.”

The post said Sweet “has left a hole in our organization that can never be filled” and concluded, “We will miss you Kim. Thank you everything that you have done for us over the years.”

The Arkansas crash comes amid a series of recent small-plane mishaps nationwide. On Monday, a small Piper aircraft carrying three people flipped over while landing at Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport in North Carolina, briefly shutting the runway as federal and local crews responded.

The Piper PA-28 veered off the runway and overturned around 1:15 p.m. on Monday, and all three on board were taken to a hospital with injuries described as not life-threatening.

On Friday, Feb. 20, a Piper PA-18 nosed over on a frozen lake in Maine, leaving its pilot uninjured. The following day on Saturday, a Cessna 177B crash in a remote part of eastern Arizona sent two people to the hospital but left them in stable condition.

In more severe cases this month, a veteran flight instructor and his wife were killed when their Beechcraft Bonanza BE36 hit power lines near Brownsboro, Texas, after the pilot reported oil on the windshield and declared an emergency.

Four Tennessee residents also died this month when an Epic E1000 turboprop went down near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.