Skydiving Plane Crash Near Butler Memorial Airport Kills 12 in Missouri

A skydiving plane crash near Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri killed 12 people on Sunday, after a pilot and 11 skydivers took off and the aircraft went down in a field engulfed in flames.

“Skydiving plane crashes in Missouri, 11 passengers and pilot killed The crash happened near the Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri”

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The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the crash happened around 11:30 p.m. local time, while ABC News reported Highway patrol officials confirmed 12 people were on board and that the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating.

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Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said the crash occurred shortly after the plane took off, and AP reported Anderson said the plane “appears to be an accident.”

Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director, told AP that the plane “had just taken off and made a left turn” before the crash, and CNN reported the FAA said the plane was unable to get visual altitude and made a sharp left turn before crashing about 300 yards from the runway.

Family members witnessed the crash, with ABC News saying there were family members who witnessed the crash and quoting Sheriff Chad Anderson: "Our hearts go out to them."

AP described clergy and volunteers going to the site to assist relatives, and it said officials were working to identify all victims and notify their next of kin while the FAA was also on scene.

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CNN quoted US Rep. Mark Alford saying, "It's a beautiful day here, blue skies, green grass," as he described some victims as first-time skydivers preparing to skydive in a tandem formation.

Jeff Guzzetti, an aviation safety expert, told AP that “There’s been a whole history of skydiving accidents for inadequate maintenance and deficient safety culture,” and AP said the exact cause of Sunday’s crash won’t be clear for a year or more until the NTSB publishes its final report.

Authorities said the NTSB and the FAA will investigate, with the FAA telling Fox News Digital that “The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation.”

The crash site near Butler Memorial Airport and the nearby roadway were closed as investigators worked, with AP saying the Butler Memorial Airport, as well as the highway that runs beside it, will remain closed while federal investigators are on the scene.

NPR reported the Missouri State Highway Patrol said the plane was taking people up to skydive and that emergency responders got a call around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, while it also said the Pacific Aerospace 750XL can carry as many as 17 skydivers and is capable of taking off and landing on short runways.

In addition to the immediate response, AP said the NTSB has previously raised concerns about weak oversight for skydiving operators, and it quoted NTSB board member Jennifer Homendy in 2019 saying “paying passengers should be able to count on an airworthy plane, an adequately trained pilot, a safe operator and adequate federal oversight of those operations.”