A plane from Skydive Kansas City crashed in the American state of Missouri. There were 11 parachutists and a pilot on board — all of them died.
Eleven parachutists and the pilot died as a result of a plane crash near the Butler Memorial Airport in Missouri. This was reported by CNN, citing local authorities.
According to Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and emergency director for Bates County, the plane took off from the airport around 11:20 AM local time. However, shortly after takeoff, the aircraft failed to gain the necessary altitude, sharply turned left, and crashed approximately 300 meters from the runway.
Since the plane was at a very low altitude, the crew did not have time to communicate with the control tower.
After the crash, rescuers surveyed the scene both on foot and with drones. Jacobs reported that none of those on board managed to escape the plane before it hit the ground.
The crashed aircraft was a single-engine turboprop plane from Skydive Kansas City. It caught fire after the fall.
The causes of the tragedy are being investigated by specialists from the National Transportation Safety Board. The Federal Aviation Administration has also been notified of the incident.
The names of the deceased have not yet been disclosed, as relatives have not yet received official notifications.
According to the American Parachute Association, there have been eight plane crashes related to parachute jumps in the USA over the past ten years. As a result of these incidents, 25 people have died.
The investigation into the causes of the crash is ongoing. Specialists will need to determine what exactly prevented the plane from gaining altitude immediately after takeoff and led to one of the largest tragedies in American parachuting in recent years.
