12 dead in skydiving plane crash in Missouri

At least 12 have died after a skydiving plane crashed shortly after taking off from an airport in western Missouri, according to state police and local officials.

The crash happened at about 11:30 a.m. on the property of Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, about 60 miles south of Kansas City. Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said the aircraft had taken off from the local airport before it went down.

“We want to be very clear: this is not a commercial airliner that has crashed,” Anderson said at a briefing. “It’s a local airplane that took off from our local airport.”

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said troopers were assisting the Butler Police Department and the Bates County Sheriff’s Office at the scene. Initial reports indicated all 12 people on board had died.

Anderson said officials were treating the crash as a mass casualty incident. At the briefing, he would not confirm the state patrol’s report that 12 people had died, saying only that the number of fatalities was “less than 20.”

Asked whether the aircraft was being used for skydiving operations, Anderson said officials believed it was. He said investigators were still working to determine what happened after takeoff.

“This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community,” Skydive Kansas City, the company which operated the aircraft, said in a statement. “Our deepest sympathies are with the families, friends and loved ones of all who were lost.”

Multiple agencies responded to the crash, including fire departments, ambulances and coroner’s offices from the area. Anderson said some family members witnessed the crash.

“Our hearts go out to them,” Anderson said. “There’s nothing you can say to make it better. We just pray for their loved ones, their families, and that they can recover some sense of normalcy.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is at the scene, while the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was expected to respond. Both agencies will investigate the crash.

Anderson said there was no indication the crash was connected to the World Cup, a question raised because Kansas City is among the host cities.