12 Dead in Crash of Plane on Skydiving Outing in US, Authorities Say

Steward: Authorities said a plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers while parachuting in Missouri crashed into a field on Sunday and burst into flames, killing everyone on board.

Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said the crash occurred shortly after the plane took off from a local airport around 11:30 a.m. and that some family members on board witnessed the crash.

A pile of crushed blue and silver metal lay on the grass near Butler Memorial Airport, and scores of emergency vehicles were gathered on a nearby street. Anderson said clergy and volunteers went to the area to help relatives, and authorities were working Sunday afternoon to identify all the victims and notify their relatives.

Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration were also on the scene Sunday afternoon and a team from the National Transportation Safety Board was also en route, Anderson said.

Dennis Jacobs, airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director, said the private plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City. It was determined to be a single-engine turboprop aircraft.

“He had taken off and turned left before the crash,” Jacobs said. “I think it was losing power and trying to get onto the highway and land and it stalled and went nose first down and caught fire.”

Jacobs said emergency responders extinguished the fire in the wreckage immediately after the accident and described the scene as “brutal.” First responders also checked the area below the flight path and found no one trying to jump out before the plane crashed, he said.

The crashed Pacific Aerospace 750XL is a model that is popular for skydiving and has also proven useful in cargo transport, aerial inspection 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. According to FAA records, the plane was built in 2010.

Sky diving companies operate in the area for eight or nine months of the year; The season usually starts in late March or early April and lasts until October or November. A person who answered the phone at Skydive Kansas City declined to speak to a reporter from the Associated Press.

The accident occurred on a sunny day in the region. Data from digital flight tracking company FlightAware shows the plane had already completed two short flights on the Sunday before the crash. Two more successful flights were recorded on Saturday and five more on Friday, according to FlightAware.

It is not yet known what factors may have contributed to the crash, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing said those details will be part of the investigation by NTSB officials.

The sheriff stressed that the public was safe and that this “appears to be an accident.”

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said poor maintenance has been a factor in previous skydiving plane crashes because those companies were not held to high standards under FAA rules. Guzzetti said skydiving companies are subject to the same rules that any private plane owner must follow, not the stricter rules that charter flight operators and airlines follow.

“There is a history of skydiving accidents due to inadequate maintenance and a missing safety culture,” said Guzzetti, who is an accident investigator for both the NTSB and the FAA.

The exact cause of Sunday’s crash won’t be clear for a year or more until the NTSB issues its final report.

The NTSB has previously expressed concerns about poor oversight of skydiving operators in past accident investigations. The agency said the FAA’s regulatory system was not strong enough to ensure the safety of skydiving flights after a 2019 crash in Hawaii that killed 11 people.

The small airport serves about 30 aircraft, all privately owned, including crop dusting companies and skydiving operators, Jacobs said.

The small town of Butler has a population of about 4,300 people and is about 65 miles south of Kansas City. Butler Memorial Airport and the highway adjacent to it will remain closed while federal investigators are on the scene, Anderson said Sunday afternoon.