What we know about the skydiving plane crash in Missouri that killed 12 – NBC News

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A plane on a skydiving expedition crashed shortly after takeoff in Missouri on Sunday, killing all aboard, including 11 passengers and a pilot.
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The probe is in its infancy and investigators cannot make any immediate findings, National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman Michael Graham said.
“This is the beginning of a long process,” the NTSB official told reporters Monday.
“We will not be determining what happens overnight. We will be picking up perishable evidence at the scene and we will not be drawing any conclusions at this time until some time later, when we have all the evidence.”
This is what we know so far.
The aircraft was manufactured in 2010 by Pacific Aerospace in New Zealand with an engine from Pratt & Whitney Canada.
It was registered to owner Sky High Arrow LLC out of Jasper, Tennessee, according to the NTSB.
This plane was not required to have a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder on board, commonly known as the “black boxes.”
“Our investigators will be looking for any other kind of avionics on board that aircraft that may be salvageable,” Graham said.
“And in that case, any of those devices, maybe even some personal electronic devices, may be recovered and those will be sent to the NTSB headquarters in Washington D.C. for further analysis.”
The plane, operated by Skydive Kansas City, crashed about 11:30 a.m. near Butler Memorial Airport along Business Interstate 49, authorities said.
The craft struggled to gain altitude and made a sharp left turn before it crashed, perhaps showing the pilot was trying to make an emergency landing on the highway, acting airport manager Dennis Jacobs said Sunday.
“In my opinion, I think (the plane) was losing power, and (the pilot) was trying to make it over to the highway and land, and he stalled and went down nose first and caught fire,” Jacobs said.
Asked if the plane’s pilot was attempting a so-called “impossible turn,” Graham said it was too early to tell.
“We’re just starting to gather information, and it would be too early to make any speculation as to the flight path of the aircraft,” Graham said.
State authorities have notified family members of all 12 people who were killed, officials said Monday.
Representatives for the Bates County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri Highway Patrol, however, declined to publicly identify those killed.
“As you can imagine, there are a lot of moving parts to this scene and investigation,” highway patrol spokesperson Sgt. Justin Ewing said in a statement to NBC News.
Three of the victims have been identified by their families or employers. Among them is Jennifer Sharp, a member of the U.S. Parachute Association.
Sharp, who was the agency’s director of technology, had worked with the group for nine years, the U.S. Parachute Association said.
“Jen was a remarkable force whose passion for the skies was matched only by her dedication to the people in our sport,” USPA Executive Director Albert Berchtold said in a statement Monday. “Her loss leaves an unfillable void in our office, our community, and our hearts. We are incredibly grateful for the years of laughter, innovation, and friendship we shared with her.”
The North Kansas City School district said that one its employees, Dave Hershberger, was also killed in Sunday’s crash.
Hershberger was an orchestra teacher at a public high school and middle school, NBC affiliate KSHB of Kansas City reported.
The family of Michael Shanahan confirmed his death, but declined further comment.
This region of Missouri, near the Kansas border, is a popular skydiving area, according to Northern Bates County Commissioner John Gray.
“You pray for the families and the friends of those families that lost loved ones today, nobody woke up this morning and thought, ‘Hey, I’m not going to be here tonight,’” Gray told NBC affiliate KSHB.
Despite the inherent danger of skydiving, enthusiasts said their love of the jump outweighs any fears.
“It is our passion, everyone of us that does it,” said the U.S. Parachute Association’s central regional director, Charles Crinklaw, who knows many of the victims.
The national group said the greater community of skydivers was shaken by Sunday’s tragedy.
“USPA extends its deepest sympathies to the families, friends, and loved ones of all who were lost, and to the wider skydiving community,” the group said. “The community is close-knit, and a loss of this magnitude is felt profoundly across the entire sport.”
Senior Breaking News Reporter
Selina Guevara is an NBC News field producer, based in Chicago.
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