Eleven skydivers and one pilot were killed in a plane crash near an airport in Butler, Missouri, Sunday, authorities said.
The plane had just taken off from Butler Memorial Airport at about 11:20 a.m. local time, was unable to get visual altitude, made a sharp left turn and crashed about 300 yards from the runway, Dennis Jacobs, acting airport manager and Bates County emergency management director, told CNN.
As the plane had just taken off, it had not reached the altitude to report to air traffic control, Jacobs said.
Officials canvassed the crash site on foot and by drone to see if anyone survived, but no one was able to jump out of the plane before it crashed, Jacobs said.
The single-engine turboprop plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, Jacobs said. Skydive Kansas City declined to comment when contacted by CNN.
The plane was taking people up to skydive when emergency responders got a call that a plane was down and engulfed in fire, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing told The Associated Press.
“It landed in a field adjacent to the airport, but I think they’re shutting down the roadway just as a precaution,” Ewing told the AP.
The crash will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration has been notified, Ewing told CNN. A spokesperson for the agency said officials are gathering information about the incident.
The victims have not been publicly identified, as families had not been notified of the incident, he added.
“It’s horrible,” Jacobs said of the crash.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol will assist in coordinating with family members who have arrived at the scene, Ewing said.
The Butler Police Department and the Bates County Sheriff’s Office are also on scene.
In the past decade, there had been eight fatal aircraft crashes related to skydiving, resulting in 25 deaths, according to the US Parachute Association.
The Pacific Aerospace 750XL that crashed was manufactured in 2010, according to FAA records. It is popular for skydiving but has also proven useful for other purposes like cargo, aerial surveying and medical evacuation flights, according to the AP. The aircraft can carry as many as 17 skydivers and can take off and land on short runways, the wire service reported.
Butler is about 65 miles south of Kansas City, Missouri.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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