Authorities in Missouri are investigating a plane crash that killed a pilot and 11 passengers on Sunday near Butler Memorial Airport, about 105 kilometres south of Kansas City. The aircraft had recently taken off for a skydiving outing when it went down in a field adjacent to the airport and caught fire, according to state officials.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said emergency crews were called at about 11:30 a.m. local time after receiving reports that a plane was down and engulfed in flames. Troopers assisted Butler police and the Bates County Sheriff’s Office at the scene. Emergency responders extinguished the fire shortly after arriving.
Dennis Jacobs, acting airport manager and director of the Bates County Emergency Management Agency, said the privately operated aircraft belonged to Skydive Kansas City. He said the plane had just taken off and made a left turn before crashing. Jacobs said, in his view, the aircraft may have been losing power as the pilot attempted to reach a highway, though investigators have not confirmed a cause.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were sending teams to the site Sunday to begin an investigation. Officials said it was not yet known what factors contributed to the crash.
The aircraft was identified as a Pacific Aerospace 750XL, a single-engine turboprop commonly used for skydiving, cargo, surveying and medical evacuation flights. FAA records show the plane was manufactured in 2010. The model can carry up to 17 skydivers and operate from short runways.
Butler is a town of about 4,300 people. Its airport serves roughly 30 privately owned aircraft, including those used by crop-dusting businesses and skydiving operators. Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti noted that skydiving operators are generally regulated under private aircraft rules, rather than stricter standards applied to airlines and charter carriers.