Twelve dead after skydiving plane crashes near Missouri airport
Around 11 skydivers and their pilot have ‘perished’ in a plane crash close to a rural airport.
Witnesses said they saw the plane, believed to be carrying skydivers, flying low before suddenly plunging into the ground close to the Butler Memorial Airport in Missouri on Sunday.
A Bates County Emergency Management said just before 11.30am, a private plane leaving the Butler Memorial Airport turned around for an unknown reason before crashing next to the Business 49 Highway.
The flaming wreckage of the plane can be seen from the highway which has been closed by police.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said: ‘At this time reports indicate all occupants (12 total) have perished.’
Butler is about 60 miles south of Kansas City, Missouri.
The private plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, said Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director.
It was identified as a single engine turboprop plane.
‘It had just taken off and made a left turn’ before the crash, Jacobs said.
‘In my opinion, I think it was losing power, and he was trying to make it over to the highway and land, and he stalled and went down nose first and caught fire.’
Emergency responders put out the fire in the wreckage soon after the crash, Jacobs said, calling the scene ‘brutal.’
A Skydive Kansas City spokesman said: ‘This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community.
‘Our deepest sympathies are with the families, friends, and loved ones of all who were lost.
‘The names of those involved will not be released until all next of kin have been notified.’
First responders also checked the area under the flight path and did not find anyone who might have tried to jump out before the plane came down, he said.
The Pacific Aerospace 750XL that crashed is a model that’s popular for skydiving and also has proven useful for carrying cargo, aerial surveying and medical evacuation flights.
Deputy Editor
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