Twelve people aboard a plane, including the pilot, were killed after the aircraft crashed in Missouri, according to authorities.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said on social media that the fatal crash occurred near the Butler Memorial Airport, located about 60 miles south of Kansas City. State troopers were on the scene along with the Butler Police Department and Bates County Sheriff’s Office.
Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing said the plane was taking people up to skydive. Emergency responders got a call that a plane was down and engulfed in fire around 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning, he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the aircraft was a Pacific Aerospace P750. The plane is a single-engine turboprop model that’s popular for skydiving but has also proven useful for other uses, including cargo, aerial surveying, and medical evacuation flights. The aircraft can carry as many as 17 skydivers and is capable of taking off and landing on short runways. The plane that crashed Saturday was manufactured in 2010, according to FAA records.
The agency said air traffic services “were not being provided at the time” of the crash.
“It landed in a field adjacent to the airport, but I think they’re shutting down the roadway just as a precaution,” Ewing said.
The crash will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, he said.
A spokesperson for the NTSB told CBS News in a statement that the agency is gathering information.
