Skydiving plane crashes in Missouri, USA, killing 12 people

A skydiving plane crashed in Missouri, USA on the 14th, killing all 11 passengers and one pilot on board. Local officials revealed that some family members of the victims witnessed the crash, and the cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Reuters reported that the Missouri State Highway Patrol stated that the accident occurred near Butler Memorial Airport, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Kansas City.

The aircraft operator, Skydive Kansas City, said in a statement: "Unfortunately, all 12 people on board were killed in this accident." The company added that it will not release the names of the deceased until all family members have been notified, and is working closely with local authorities, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Bates County Emergency Director Dennis Jacobs, who is also the airport's acting manager, told Reuters that the single-engine turboprop plane took off around 11:20 a.m. local time on the 14th (12:20 a.m. on the 15th Taiwan time), but failed to climb to a sufficient altitude and suddenly turned sharply to the left in the air before crashing about 300 yards (274 meters) from the runway.

The NTSB revealed that the crashed aircraft was a "Pacific Aerospace 750XL", which is often used for high-altitude skydiving activities, cargo transportation, agricultural spraying, aerial photography and medical evacuation.

Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson emphasized at a press conference that "this was not a commercial airliner crash, but a local plane that took off from a local airport." He pointed out that preliminary investigation showed that it was an accident.

Anderson also said that some family members of the victims witnessed the crash and that FAA personnel had arrived at the scene of the accident. He added that after receiving the emergency report at around 11:30 a.m., multiple firefighting units and coroners rushed to the scene to provide support.

The NTSB stated in a statement that investigators are expected to arrive on the 15th and begin the investigation. The NTSB said the final investigation report assessing the cause of the accident is expected to take 12 to 24 months to complete.