A pilot and 11 passengers have all tragically died due to a skydiving plane crash.
Whilst on a skydiving outing, the plane crashed and engulfed into flames, killing everyone on board.
The crash happened shortly after they took off, Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said that some on the passengers family members witnessed the tragic crash.
Volunteers went to the site and helped to identify the pasengers and contact their next of kin.
Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director said the private plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City.
Jacobs explained the plane had just taken off and made a left turn before the crash. "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," he said.
A report in CNN stated that nine of the passengers were experienced skydivers, and two were planning to participate in tandem jump. Travis Phippen, a friend of one of the passengers told the news broadcaster that the incident is “heartbreaking.” “The skydiving community is incredibly close-knit, and several of the people on that plane had a profound impact on countless lives – including my own. We all understand and accept that there are inherent risks in this sport, but losing so many friends and respected members of the community at once is absolutely devastating," he said.
The direct cause of the crash is still under investiagtion and officials have suggested that it could the National Transportation Safety Boardtake up to two years to release a final report.
Skydive Kansas City said in a statement: “This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community. 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.”
