A devastating plane crash near Butler Memorial Airport claimed the lives of all 12 people aboard on Sunday morning, as a skydiving aircraft went down shortly after takeoff and erupted in flames.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed that the aircraft was carrying a pilot and 11 passengers who had planned to spend the sunny afternoon skydiving. Emergency responders received a call reporting the downed aircraft around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Missouri Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing.
The crash occurred in a field adjacent to the Butler Memorial Airport in the small town of Butler, which has a population of approximately 4,300 people and is located roughly 65 miles south of Kansas City. Troopers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol assisted the Butler Police Department and Bates County Sheriff's Office at the crash site.
Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director, reported that the private plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City. Jacobs described the moments before the crash, stating that the aircraft had just taken off and made a left turn before going down.
"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," Jacobs said. He described the scene as "brutal."
Emergency responders were able to extinguish the fire shortly after the crash. A heap of blue and silver mangled metal lay in the grass near the airport, surrounded by a massive lineup of emergency vehicles. First responders checked the area under the flight path and did not find anyone who might have attempted to jump out before the crash, according to Jacobs.
As a precautionary measure, authorities shut down the roadway adjacent to the crash site. Sergeant Ewing noted that the plane had been taking people up to skydive when the tragedy occurred.
The aircraft involved was a Pacific Aerospace 750XL, a single-engine turboprop plane model popular for skydiving operations. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the plane was manufactured in 2010. This model is capable of carrying as many as 17 skydivers and can take off and land on short runways. The aircraft has also proven useful for cargo, aerial surveying, and medical evacuation flights.
The Butler Memorial Airport serves approximately 30 privately owned aircraft, including crop dusting companies and skydive operators, according to Ewing. Skydiving companies typically operate in the region eight or nine months a year, with the season usually starting in late March or early April and lasting into October or November.
Teams from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were en route to the crash site Sunday afternoon to investigate the incident. The specific factors that may have contributed to or caused the crash remain unknown and will be determined through the investigation conducted by NTSB officials.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator for both the NTSB and FAA, noted that poor maintenance has been a factor in numerous previous skydiving plane crashes. He explained that skydiving companies are governed by the same rules that apply to any private plane owner, rather than the more stringent regulations that charter flight operators and airlines must follow.
"There's been a whole history of skydiving accidents for inadequate maintenance and deficient safety culture," Guzzetti said, highlighting the regulatory challenges facing the industry.
A representative answering the phone at Skydive Kansas City declined to speak with reporters following the tragedy. The investigation into this fatal crash continues as authorities work to determine what led to the loss of all 12 lives aboard the aircraft.
