A Pacific Aerospace P750 aircraft operated by Skydive Kansas City crashed near Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri, killing all twelve people on board Sunday morning.
The flight carried eleven skydivers and one pilot, according to a statement released by Skydive Kansas City following the tragedy.
Dennis Jacobs, director of the Bates County Emergency Management Association and acting manager of Butler Memorial Airport, said the aircraft took off just before 11:30 a.m. local time.
The plane was unable to gain altitude after takeoff and made a sharp left turn before going down, according to Jacobs.
Jacobs indicated the pilot may have been attempting an emergency landing on a nearby highway when the aircraft crashed.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the crash occurred around 11:35 a.m. local time on Sunday, June 14.
Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said some of the occupants’ family members were present at the airport and witnessed the crash unfold.
The weather that morning was described as ideal flying conditions, with temperatures in the mid-70s and clear blue skies that experienced skydivers particularly favor.
Gloria Shanahan had told her son Michael, as he headed out the door Sunday, that it was the kind of day longtime skydivers love to jump in.
Skydive Kansas City released a statement describing the event as “a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community.”
The crash has sent shockwaves through the close-knit Midwest skydiving community, a group bound together by a shared pursuit of adrenaline and adventure in the skies.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA have both opened investigations into the cause of the crash.
