A private plane carrying a pilot and 11 skydivers crashed Sunday morning in Butler, Missouri, killing everyone on board.
The aircraft, identified as a Pacific Aerospace P750, went down shortly after takeoff at around 11:30 a.m., according to Bates County Emergency Management and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Officials said the plane had departed from Butler Memorial Airport but was unable to gain sufficient altitude. It then tried to make a left turn in an apparent effort to land on a nearby highway.
That emergency maneuver was unsuccessful, authorities said, and the aircraft crashed near Business 49 Highway before erupting into flames.
First responders managed to put out the fire soon after the wreck, while Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing described the crash site as “brutal.”
Authorities said 11 of the victims were skydivers affiliated with Skydive Kansas City, while the 12th person killed was the pilot. No one aboard survived.
Authorities have not yet released the identities of those on board.
According to Bates County Emergency Management Director Dennis Jacobs, nine of the 11 skydivers were experienced jumpers, while two were participating in tandem jumps, USA Today reported.
The aircraft crashed just after takeoff at 11.30am, a spokesperson with Bates County Emergency Management said
A pilot and 11 skydivers died after a private plane crashed in Butler, Missouri on Sunday morning
Aerial view of Butler Memorial Airport aerial
Jacobs added that multiple witnesses, including family members of some passengers, watched in horror as the aircraft crashed.
‘One lady that was there was watching her brother [on the plane], and his wife was there, too, and she was supposed to be on the plane with them,’ Jacobs told the outlet.
When contacted by a reporter at the Daily Mail, a representative of Skydive Kansas City emphatically said they ‘can not talk about this right now’ before abruptly ending the call.
Local police, first responders, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are on the scene of the fiery wreckage.
Emergency management officials said all lanes of the highway, stretching a half-mile north and south of the crash site, remain closed.
In a press conference, officials said the investigation and clearing of the wreckage will take about two days.
The crash site was secured by police tape as local law enforcement is on the scene.
‘The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation,’ the FAA told Daily Mail.
Butler Memorial Airport serves around 30 aircrafts, all privately owned, including crop dusting companies and sky dive operators.
The small town of Butler has a population of around 4,300 people and is roughly 65 miles south of Kansas City.
Skydive Kansas City is a ‘premier skydiving center’ located in Orange St Butler, Missouri.
The company has been in business since 1998, serving the Kansas City, Topeka, and Overland Park community.
The Skydive Kansas City facility headquarters
The Pacific Aerospace P750 aircraft (stock) was initially designed to the narrow market of skydiving
The skydiving center was founded by a father-son duo Chris and John Hall, united by a passion for the adrenaline-fueled sport.
John has skydived since 1973 and ‘witnessed the industry grow from old military round parachutes to today’s modern ram-air canopies,’ according to their website.
He was long regarded as one of the region’s top demonstration jumpers, performing aerial displays across the Kansas City metro area since the early 1970s.
Chris started skydiving at the age of 18 and has expert skills in freefall photography. He competed in the ESPN X Games Pro Tour in 1996, per the website.
The Pacific Aerospace P750 aircraft was initially designed to the narrow market of skydiving.
The plane’s high-lift wings and powerful engine allow it to efficiently transport a full load of parachutists to an altitude of 12,000 ft before returning to land in approximately 10 minutes.
The aircraft can carry as many as 17 skydivers and is capable of taking off and landing on short runways.
The plane that crashed was manufactured in 2010, according to FAA records.
Sky diving companies operate in the region eight or nine months a year, with the season usually starting in late March or early April and lasting into October or November.
