11 skydivers alongside their pilot have tragically died after a plane crash. As reported by ABC 7 Eyewitness News, the crash occurred on Sunday at around 11:30 am in Butler, Missouri. The town is around 65 miles south of Kansas City.
The private plane had left Butler Memorial Airport before it turned around near the Business 49 Highway. It crashed shortly afterward.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol explained what troopers saw when they approached the scene. They had entered the area after receiving a 911 call from shocked bystanders.
According to Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Agency director, the plane "had just taken off and made a left turn."
Missouri Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing explained that the plane was planning on taking people skydiving. "It landed in a field adjacent to the airport," he explained.
The Business 49 Highway has been shut down "just as a precaution," according to the sergeant. It is currently unknown when the highway will be back in operation.
Jacobs added that the plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City.
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The Cause of the Plane Crash is Currently Unknown
While there is currently little information about why the plane crash happened, authorities are looking into it.
The outlet has reported that teams from the National Transportation Safety Board, as well as the Federal Aviation Administration, had arrived at the scene to inspect the scene of the crash.
Jacobs gave his two cents as to what happened to cause the crash. "In my opinion I think it was losing power," he explained. "...He was trying to make it over to the highway and land, and he stalled and went down nose first and caught fire."
He went on to describe the scene as "brutal."
However, authorities have said that poor plane maintenance has been the reason behind similar crashes. Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti explained, "There's been a whole history of skydiving accidents for inadequate maintenance and deficient safety culture."
No matter the cause of the crash, this is an absolutely tragic incident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones.
