USA: 12 killed, including skydivers, in plane crash in Missouri
Photo: Reuters.
A private plane crash in the U.S. state of Missouri has killed 12 people, including skydivers. The accident occurred around 11:20 a.m. local time on Sunday south of the city of Butler, at the Butler Memorial Airport, reports Reuters.
Dennis Jacobs, the airport's acting manager and Bates County emergency management director, said the plane carrying the skydivers crashed shortly after taking off from the runway. The single-engine turboprop aircraft, after takeoff, failed to gain altitude and suddenly experienced severe buffeting before crashing about 300 meters away.
The skydiving company operating the plane stated, "Sadly, all 12 occupants on board lost their lives in this accident." They added that the identities of the deceased will not be released until their families have been notified.
The company said it is working with local authorities, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to investigate the incident.
Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson commented, "This is not a commercial airliner; it was a local aircraft that took off from our local airport. It appears to have been an accident."
He further noted that relatives of the victims were present at the scene and witnessed the tragic event.
According to the non-profit organization U.S. Parachute Association, last year there were 16 skydiving-related fatalities in the U.S. out of an estimated 3.5 million jumps. Excluding the Missouri accident, there have been eight fatal skydiving-related aircraft accidents in the U.S. over the past decade, resulting in a total of 25 deaths.