BUTLER, Mo. – A preliminary report from federal aviation safety investigators found no major safety issues that clearly explain last month’s deadly skydiving plane crash in Missouri, which killed all 12 people on board, including several highly experienced parachutists.
The National Transportation Safety Board released the preliminary findings Thursday after examining the wreckage. Investigators said they found no evidence of an engine malfunction or mechanical failure before impact that would have kept the aircraft from operating normally.
The agency also reported that a fuel sample taken from the truck after the accident showed no sediment or debris. In addition, a review of the skydiving operator’s software indicated the plane was within required weight and balance limits for the flight.
Investigators noted the aircraft did not have a crash-resistant voice or data recorder, the type commonly used to capture information on commercial flights, and it was not required to carry one. The NTSB said, however, that damaged GoPro cameras were recovered from the wreckage.
The NTSB’s investigation remains active, and a final report typically takes a year or longer to complete.
The crash occurred June 14 roughly an hour south of Kansas City, shortly after the aircraft departed Butler Memorial Airport at 11:25 a.m. in clear weather with one pilot and 11 skydivers aboard.
As the plane climbed, it entered a gradual left turn, investigators said. Both wings eventually became nearly vertical before the aircraft plunged nose-first into a field and erupted in flames.
The resulting fire caused extensive damage to the plane’s main structural sections, along with the cockpit, cabin and fuel system, according to investigators.
Some family members of those who died were at the airport to watch the jump and witnessed the crash, authorities said. The United States Parachute Association, skydiving’s governing body, said its technology director, Jen Sharp, was among those killed.
The day of the crash, Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director, said he thought the plane was losing power and that the pilot had been trying to land on the nearby highway before it crashed.
The plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, which called the crash a “devastating loss.”
Poor maintenance is often a factor when skydiving planes crash and the NTSB has previously raised concerns about the weak oversight for skydiving operators in past crash investigations. The agency said after a 2019 crash that killed 11 people in Hawaii that the FAA’s regulatory system isn’t strong enough to ensure the safety of skydiving flights.
The Federal Aviation Administration has yet to adopt the NTSB’s recommendations, but said it established a committee in April that will recommend ways to increase skydiving safety and will consider the safety board’s proposals.
The United States Parachute Association said that Skydive Kansas City adheres to the safety standards set by the largest skydiving organization in the world, including all FAA maintenance requirements. The skydiving industry says it has a strong safety record. The association said that last year nearly 3.5 million jumps were completed and that 16 civilians died, the majority from human error.
The Pacific Aerospace 750XL that crashed is a model that’s popular for skydiving and also has proven useful for carrying cargo, aerial surveying and medical evacuation flights. The aircraft can carry more than 4,000 pounds (1,800 kilograms) and is capable of taking off and landing on short runways, according to the manufacturer.
The single-engine turboprop plane was built in 2010, according to FAA records. It made nine successful flights in the days before the crash, including two on Sunday morning, according to FlightAware, a digital flight tracking company.
Investigators said the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate and had accumulated over 4,100 total flight hours. This year was the pilot’s second consecutive jump season working for Skydive Kansas City, the NTSB said.
Skydive Kansas City reported no prior concerns with the pilot, investigators said, calling him safety-oriented and conservative with his decision making as a jump pilot.
