Twelve people are dead after a skydiving plane crashed in Missouri, according to Bates County Emergency Management.
Dennis Jacobs, director of Bates County Emergency Management, told USA TODAY that 11 people aboard the plane were skydivers and the other person was the pilot. The plane, identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as a Pacific Aerospace P750, crashed Sunday, June 14, just after takeoff from Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri, about 65 miles south of Kansas City.
It’s the deadliest crash in the airport’s roughly 50-year history, said Jacobs, who also is the airport manager.
Of the 11 skydivers, nine were experienced and two were set to take tandem jumps, Jacobs said, adding that multiple horrified witnesses saw the crash, including some loved ones of those on board.
“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 said. He said the wife was a regular skydiver who got bumped from the flight by a tandem jumper.
The private plane, operated by Skydive Kansas City, had departed from Butler Memorial Airport and “turned around for an unknown reason” before crashing near a local highway around 11:20 a.m. local time, according to Bates County Emergency Management.
Skydive Kansas City flew numerous trips over the weekend, Bates County Emergency Management said. The plane took off Sunday but struggled to climb. It tried to make a rough turn before crashing to the horror of those watching.
“They weren’t able to get over 100 feet off the ground,” Jacobs said, adding that the weather was beautiful. “It very likely will be an engine problem, but we won’t know until the NTSB report,” he said, referring to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Troopers were on the scene assisting the Butler Police Department and the Bates County Sheriff’s Office, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said in an X post June 14. Emergency crews and law enforcement, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the FAA and the NTSB, were searching the area.
Bates County Emergency Management told USA TODAY no survivors were found along the flight path.
The investigation was expected to last several days, Bates County Emergency Management said.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Leave a Reply