A Skydive Kansas City aircraft crashed near Butler, Missouri on Sunday around noon, killing all 12 people aboard. The plane was taking off when it turned sharply and nosedived approximately 300 yards from the runway, according to Bates County Emergency Management Director Dennis Jacobs.
The victims included 11 skydivers and the pilot. Among the skydivers were nine experienced jumpers and two tandem participants, Jacobs said. Authorities were still working to notify next of kin Monday morning and had not released the names of those killed.
Skydive Kansas City confirmed the full loss in a statement Monday. "This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community," the company said, requesting privacy as it coordinated with investigators and supported affected staff.
Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson called the crash an apparent accident during a Sunday press conference. "Our hearts go out to them," he said. "There's nothing you can say to make it better. We just pray for their loved ones, their families and they can recover some sense of normalcy."
The crash hit hard within the close-knit Missouri skydiving community. Charles Crinklaw, a skydiver at nearby Falcon Skydiving, said he personally knew everyone aboard. "I know four of them very, very well. They jumped with me on a regular basis," he told KSHB 41. One victim had been working with the United States Parachute Association as an instructor coach, Crinklaw noted.
"It shocked everybody," Crinklaw said. "We just were walking around here numb for a while."
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are leading the investigation. NTSB investigators will examine the aircraft wreckage, request radar data and weather information, and review maintenance records and the pilot's medical history as they work to determine what caused the crash.
Author James Rodriguez: "A preventable outcome or a freak mechanical failure, the investigation will take weeks to sort through, but the skydiving community won't wait that long to feel this loss."
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