The crash and immediate aftermath
A plane carrying 11 skydivers and a pilot crashed near Butler Memorial Airport in Missouri on Sunday, killing all 12 people aboard. The aircraft, a Pacific Aerospace P750 single-engine turboprop, went down around 11:30 a.m. local time shortly after takeoff, according to Missouri Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing. The plane came down in a field adjacent to the airport, roughly 60 miles south of Kansas City in Butler, a town of approximately 4,300 people.
Emergency responders arrived to find the aircraft engulfed in flames. Some family members of those aboard witnessed the crash unfold.
What witnesses saw
Bailey Reed, an eyewitness, described the final moments in stark detail. "It was completely perpendicular with the wings to the sky, to the ground, going fast. And then they just hit the ground," she told CBS News. "The plane just completely like shattered with the ground. The ground and trees around it exploded and it just lit up in flames."
Reed said those aboard had no opportunity to deploy parachutes. "They didn't have time to jump. They were so low to the ground the parachutes wouldn't have deployed, and there was no way anyone could have jumped and survived that," she said.
According to Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County emergency management director, the plane did not appear to gain altitude and made a sharp left turn before coming down approximately 300 yards from the runway. First responders searched the flight path for any evidence that occupants had attempted to jump but found none.
The aircraft and operation
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as a Pacific Aerospace P750, a single-engine turboprop model popular for skydiving operations. The plane was manufactured in 2010 and capable of carrying as many as 17 skydivers. It was operated by Skydive Kansas City in support of the company's skydiving center.
The Federal Aviation Administration stated that air traffic services "were not being provided at the time" of the crash. Butler Memorial Airport did not have a control tower in communication with the pilot.
Victims and investigation scope
According to Dennis Jacobs, the aircraft carried nine experienced skydivers, two tandem jumpers, and a pilot. The names of those killed were not available as authorities continued notifying next of kin. According to Charles Crinklaw, a skydiver with nearby Falcon Skydiving, one of the victims had been working with the United States Parachute Association, teaching new instructors how to be coaches.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and said investigators would examine the mechanical condition of the airplane and engine, the pilot's training and medical records, and FAA oversight of the operation. Robert Sumwalt, former chair of the NTSB, noted that because this was a parachute operation rather than a commercial one, "oftentimes the FAA doesn't have the resources to oversee small operations like this." The National Transportation Safety Board said a final report on the cause is expected within 12 to 24 months.
Community response
Skydive Kansas City released a statement calling the crash "a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community." The company said its management and ownership team would assist investigators and support staff and the broader skydiving community.
Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson expressed his condolences at a Sunday press conference. "Our hearts go out to them. There's nothing you can say to make it better. We just pray for their loved ones, their families and they can recover some sense of normalcy," he said. Anderson characterized the incident as appearing to be an accident at that point.
