Plane Carrying 12 on Skydiving Outing Crashes Near Butler Memorial Airport
All 12 people aboard died when the single-engine turboprop went down in a field shortly after takeoff on Sunday. Federal investigators are examining the wreckage.
All 12 people aboard a single-engine turboprop died when the aircraft crashed in a field near Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri, on Sunday. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the plane carried a pilot and 11 passengers who were on a skydiving outing operated by Skydive Kansas City. m.
Local time. The Pacific Aerospace 750XL, built in 2010, had completed two short flights earlier Sunday, two flights on Saturday and five flights on Friday, according to FlightAware data. Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager, said the plane made a left turn after takeoff before descending.
Jacobs said the aircraft struck the ground nose-first and caught fire. Emergency responders extinguished the blaze soon afterward. First responders searched the area under the flight path and found no one who might have exited before impact.
Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said some family members of the occupants witnessed the crash. Clergy and volunteers went to the site to assist relatives while officials worked to identify the victims and notify next of kin. The Butler Memorial Airport and the adjacent highway remained closed while investigators worked at the scene.
Federal Aviation Administration officials arrived Sunday afternoon, and a National Transportation Safety Board team was en route. Troopers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol assisted the Butler Police Department and the Bates County Sheriff’s Office. Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing spoke to reporters at the site.
The small airport serves around 30 privately owned aircraft. Butler has a population of approximately 4,300 and lies roughly 65 miles south of Kansas City.
