Visuals have emerged from the crash site showing the downed aircraft engulfed in smoke as it lay in a field near Butler Memorial Airport in Missouri, where a plane carrying skydivers crashed on Sunday, killing all 12 people on board, authorities said.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said troopers were assisting the Butler Police Department and the Bates County Sheriff’s Office at the scene.
The crash occurred near Butler, a town of around 4,300 residents located about 65 miles (105 km) south of Kansas City.
Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing said the aircraft had been taking people up for a skydiving trip when emergency responders received reports at around 11:30 a.m. that a plane had gone down and caught fire, according to a report by The Associated Press.
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Visuals of crash
In the video that has emerged from the crash site, first responders can be seen approaching the smoke-filled wreckage as emergency crews work in the area.
Thick plumes of smoke rise from the downed aircraft, which came to rest in a field near Butler Memorial Airport in Missouri.
Responders quickly extinguished the blaze, though Ewing described the scene as “brutal.”
“It landed in a field adjacent to the airport, but I think they’re shutting down the roadway just as a precaution,” Ewing said.
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What happened?
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were heading to the crash site on Sunday afternoon, according to the Missouri State Patrol.
Dennis Jacobs, acting airport manager and director of the Bates County Emergency Management Agency, said the aircraft was operated by Skydive Kansas City.
“It had just taken off and made a left turn,” Jacobs said. “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 first responders searched the area beneath the flight path and found no indication that anyone had attempted to jump from the aircraft before it crashed.
The aircraft involved was a Pacific Aerospace 750XL, a single-engine turboprop commonly used for skydiving operations but also employed for cargo transport, aerial surveys and medical evacuation flights. According to FAA records, the plane, manufactured in 2010, can carry up to 17 skydivers and is capable of operating from short runways.
Ewing said the small airport serves about 30 privately owned aircraft, including those used by crop-dusting companies and skydiving operators. Skydiving businesses in the area typically operate from late March or early April through October or November.
