Skydiving plane crashes in Missouri, all 12 aboard killed

A plane carrying skydivers crashed near Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri, on Sunday, June 14, killing all 12 people aboard, authorities said.

Emergency responders received a call around 11:30 a.m. that a plane was down and engulfed in fire. Missouri Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing called the scene "brutal." Firefighters extinguished the blaze shortly after the crash, which occurred in a field adjacent to the airport.

The private aircraft, operated by Skydive Kansas City, was a Pacific Aerospace 750XL single-engine turboprop — a model commonly used for skydiving that can carry as many as 17 skydivers. The plane was manufactured in 2010, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

Acting airport manager Dennis Jacobs described what he witnessed: "It had just taken off and made a left turn before the crash. 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."

First responders checked the area beneath the flight path and found no evidence that anyone attempted to jump out before impact.

Butler, a town of roughly 4,300 people about 65 miles south of Kansas City, is home to a small airport serving around 30 privately owned aircraft, including crop dusting companies and skydiving operators. Sky diving companies operate in the region eight to nine months a year.

Teams from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were en route to investigate. Someone answering the phone at Skydive Kansas City declined to speak to reporters.