11 skydivers and pilot killed in Missouri plane crash near Butler Memorial Airport

Eleven skydivers and a pilot have been killed after a plane crashed shortly after takeoff in the US state of Missouri. Officials said the aircraft, leased by a skydiving company, went down near Butler Memorial Airport in Bates County on Sunday morning. The crash happened about 200 yards from the airport after the plane failed to gain altitude and made a sharp left turn.

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A Bates County Emergency Management spokesperson said the aircraft took off at about 11:20 local time. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Pacific Aerospace P750 and confirmed it crashed while departing the airport. The agency also said air traffic services were not being provided at the time.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into what caused the crash. Local media reported that first responders were checking the area to see whether any of the skydivers had jumped before the impact. That detail has not been confirmed by officials.

The city of Butler is about 50 miles south of the Kansas City metropolitan area, placing the crash in a rural part of western Missouri. The scale of the loss makes this one of the most serious aviation accidents reported in the state in recent years. The incident is significant because it involves both a commercial skydiving operation and a fatal departure-phase crash, a stage of flight that is often closely examined in aviation investigations.

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The fact that the aircraft was leased by a skydiving company may also be relevant to questions about maintenance, loading and operating procedures, although investigators have not yet said what role, if any, those factors played. The presence of 12 people on board, including the pilot, means the inquiry will likely focus on the aircraft's performance immediately after takeoff. The FAA and NTSB will now examine the wreckage, flight conditions and any operational records linked to the aircraft and the company that leased it.

Officials have not said whether weather, mechanical failure or pilot action contributed to the crash. It is also not yet clear whether any skydivers had exited the plane before impact, or whether the aircraft was carrying all 12 people at the moment it hit the ground. Further updates are expected as investigators recover evidence and speak to witnesses.

The key questions are why the aircraft could not gain altitude, what caused the sharp left turn and whether any safety issues were present before departure. For now, officials have confirmed only the casualty count, the aircraft type and the fact that a formal federal investigation is under way.

#Missouri #planecrash #skydiving #FAA #NTSB

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