Key takeaways:
- All 12 people aboard the plane, identified as 11 skydivers and one pilot, were killed near Butler Memorial Airport.
- Authorities said the aircraft failed to gain altitude after takeoff, made a sharp left turn and crashed near the airport.
- The FAA identified the aircraft as a Pacific Aerospace P750 and said the NTSB will lead the investigation.
Eleven skydivers and a pilot were killed Sunday when a plane crashed shortly after takeoff near Butler Memorial Airport in Missouri, authorities said.
The aircraft, leased by a skydiving company and carrying people for a jump, went down near the airport around 11:30 a.m. local time. A Bates County Emergency Management spokesperson told the BBC the plane took off around 11:20 a.m., failed to gain altitude, made a sharp left turn and crashed about 200 yards from the airport.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said troopers were assisting the Butler Police Department and the Bates County Sheriff’s Office at the scene of a “Fatal Plane Crash near the Butler Memorial Airport.” In a post on X, the patrol said early reports indicated that all 12 occupants had died.
“Troopers are on scene assisting the Butler Police Department & Bates County Sheriff’s Office of a Fatal Plane Crash near the Butler Memorial Airport,” the patrol said. “At this time reports indicate all occupants (12 total) have perished. Updates to follow.”
Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing told CBS News that emergency responders received a call around 11:30 a.m. reporting that a plane was down and engulfed in fire. “It landed in a field adjacent to the airport, but I think they’re shutting down the roadway just as a precaution,” Ewing said.
Butler Memorial Airport Acting Manager Dennis Jacobs told NBC News the aircraft had just taken off and was unable to gain altitude. It then made a sharp left turn and may have been attempting to land on the highway when it crashed, Jacobs said.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a Pacific Aerospace P750 and said it crashed while departing Butler Memorial Airport. “Air traffic services were not being provided at the time,” the FAA said in a statement reported by the BBC and The Guardian. The agency said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate, with the NTSB leading the inquiry.
The NTSB told CBS News it was gathering information. NBC News reported that the agency said it would likely launch a team.
The plane was carrying skydivers with Skydive Kansas City, according to NBC News. The BBC reported that the aircraft had been leased by a skydiving company. Local media reported that first responders were checking the area to determine whether any skydivers had jumped from the aircraft before the crash.
Videos posted online and footage from the scene showed a heavily damaged aircraft in a grassy area, with white smoke rising from the wreckage.
The crash occurred near Business Interstate 49, which the Bates County Sheriff’s Office said was shut down in both directions for an undetermined amount of time, according to NBC News. Multiple agencies responded, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Butler police, the Bates County sheriff’s office, the FAA and the NTSB.
Butler is about 50 miles south of the Kansas City metropolitan area, according to the BBC. CBS News described Butler Memorial Airport as about 60 miles south of Kansas City.
FAA records cited by CBS News show the aircraft was manufactured in 2010. CBS News reported that the Pacific Aerospace P750 is a single-engine turboprop model used for skydiving as well as cargo, aerial surveying and medical evacuation flights, and can carry as many as 17 skydivers.
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