12 killed in Missouri plane crash involving skydivers
Quick Look
- A plane carrying 11 skydivers and a pilot crashed shortly after takeoff in Missouri on Sunday, killing all 12 people on board.
- Officials are investigating the incident, which occurred near Butler Memorial Airport.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A plane carrying 11 skydivers and a pilot crashed shortly after takeoff in Missouri on Sunday, killing all 12 people on board. Officials are investigating the incident.
Eleven skydivers and one pilot have been killed in a plane crash in the US state of Missouri, officials said.
The airplane, which was leased by a skydiving company, took off around 11:20 local time on Sunday, according to a Bates County Emergency Management spokesperson.
After failing to gain altitude, it made a sharp left turn and crashed about 200 yards away from Butler Memorial Airport, the spokesperson told the BBC. All 12 people on board died, he said.
"We are treating that ... as a mass casualty," Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said during an afternoon news conference.
The sheriff said the plane was not a commercial airliner, and rather "a local airplane that took off from our local airport."
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the plane was a Pacific Aerospace P750 and crashed while departing the airport.
"Air traffic services were not being provided at the time," the FAA said. A spokesperson explained that the plane was not required to be in communication due to the type of air space it was flying in.
Local media reported that first responders checked the area to see if any of the skydivers had jumped from the plane before the crash.
Open Questions
- What caused the plane to fail to gain altitude?
- Were there any mechanical issues with the aircraft?
- Did any skydivers attempt to jump before the crash?
