‘Devastating’ skydiving outing leaves 12 dead

A dozen people have been pronounced dead after a skydiving plane crashed shortly after taking off on Sunday.

The plane, a Pacific Aerospace P750, ascended from Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri, before stalling just moments later and crashing in an adjacent field near Interstate Business 49 around 11:30 a.m. Central Time. All 11 passengers and the sole pilot on board were pronounced dead.

‘Key to this investigation is going to be looking at the mechanical condition of the airplane itself, the engine.’

It is not currently known what caused the crash. Dennis Jacobs, airport manager of the Bates County Emergency Management Agency, suspects that power issues are to blame for the plane’s troubles.

“It had just taken off and made a left turn. 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,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs denies that weather played any role in the crash, describing the day as “beautiful” up until the tragedy.

Bailey Reed, who witnessed the crash, told CBS News that the plane was “completely perpendicular with the wings to the sky, to the ground, going fast. And then they just hit the ground.”

Reed added, “They didn’t have time to jump.”

The aircraft was reportedly only 100 feet in the air when it began to show signs of failure. The Federal Aviation Administration reported that they were “not providing air traffic control services” at the time of the crash.

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Family members of the victims were present and witnessed the tragedy unfold before their eyes, according to Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson.

“Our hearts go out to them. There’s nothing we really can say to make it better. We just pray for them and their loved ones and their friends and their family and hope that they can recover to some sense of normalcy,” Anderson said during a press conference.

Skydive Kansas City, the company that organized the jump, released a statement in the aftermath of the crash: “This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community. Our deepest sympathies are with the families, friends, and loved ones of all who were lost.”

The company added, “At this time, the focus of the management and ownership team is to assist investigators and to support the staff and the broader skydiving community. The entire team is in shock, and the community is close-knit.”

Officials from the NTSB and FAA are on the scene in Butler to begin their investigation into the incident.

“Key to this investigation is going to be looking at the mechanical condition of the airplane itself, the engine,” Robert Sumwalt, the former chair of the NTSB, said.

Butler is a small town of just over 4,000 residents located about 65 miles south of Kansas City.

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