Pilot and 11 passengers die near Butler Memorial Airport as federal investigators begin examining the wreckage

Twelve people were killed when a plane carrying a group of skydivers crashed shortly after taking off from a small airport in western Missouri, authorities and the aircraft’s operator have confirmed.

The victims included 11 skydivers and the pilot of the single-engine turboprop aircraft. There were no survivors.

The crash occurred on Sunday, June 14, near Butler Memorial Airport, approximately 60 miles south of Kansas City. Emergency services were called shortly before 11.30am local time after reports that an aircraft had gone down and caught fire close to the airport.

The aircraft, identified by the National Transportation Safety Board as a Pacific Aerospace 750XL, was being operated by Skydive Kansas City. The model is commonly used for parachuting operations because it can carry large groups of jumpers and operate from relatively short runways.

According to Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County emergency management director, the aircraft took off at about 11.20am but appeared not to gain significant altitude. It then made a sharp left turn before crashing roughly 300 yards from the runway.

Images and video from the scene showed the badly damaged aircraft in a grassy area, with smoke rising from the wreckage. Firefighters, police officers, state troopers and medical teams were sent to the site.

Some relatives and friends of the people aboard were reportedly at the airport and witnessed the crash. Local authorities said support was being provided to the victims’ families, who had gathered for what was expected to be a routine day of recreational skydiving.

Skydive Kansas City confirmed that all 12 people aboard had died and said it was cooperating with local and federal investigators.

“Tragically, all 12 individuals aboard lost their lives in the accident,” the company said in a statement. The names of the victims were being withheld until relatives had been formally notified.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol, Butler Police Department and Bates County Sheriff’s Office secured the crash site. Nearby roads were temporarily closed as emergency crews worked around the wreckage and investigators prepared to begin their examination.

Federal Aviation Administration officials were also sent to the scene. The NTSB will lead the investigation, which is expected to examine the aircraft’s engines, flight controls, maintenance records, loading and fuel, as well as weather conditions and the pilot’s experience.

Authorities have not confirmed the cause of the crash. Although witnesses described the aircraft struggling to climb and turning shortly before impact, investigators have warned against drawing conclusions before the evidence has been analysed.

Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson described the aircraft as a local plane rather than a commercial airliner and said the available evidence indicated that the tragedy appeared to have been an accident.

The aircraft had reportedly completed flights earlier in the day, and the weather was described as clear. Those details will form part of the wider inquiry, but neither establishes why the plane failed to continue its climb.

NTSB investigators were expected to arrive at the site on Monday. A preliminary report may provide factual details about the flight and wreckage, but a final determination of the probable cause could take between 12 and 24 months.

The tragedy has deeply affected Butler, a small community with a population of only several thousand people. Local officials described the crash as an unprecedented disaster for the airport and praised emergency personnel who responded to the burning wreckage.

Skydiving aircraft make frequent short flights, carrying groups rapidly to jumping altitude before returning for another load. While the activity is regulated by federal aviation rules, investigators are expected to consider whether any operational, mechanical or maintenance issue played a role.

For the families waiting at the airport, the planned afternoon of sport ended in an almost unimaginable loss. As investigators begin the painstaking task of reconstructing the aircraft’s final moments, the community is mourning the pilot and 11 passengers whose flight lasted only a matter of minutes.