12 killed in skydiving plane crash in Missouri

A plane crash near the Butler Memorial Airport in Midwest US state Missouri killed all 12 people on board, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said on Sunday.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that the aircraft involved was a Pacific Aerospace P750, which was being used for skydiving.

The plane crashed at approximately 1635GMT while attempting to depart the airport. The agency noted that it was not providing air traffic control services to the flight at the time of the incident.

Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson told reporters that the department is treating the site as a “mass casualty” scene. “The plane took off, and then at that point it went down,” Anderson said, adding that the airport and surrounding highway will likely remain closed for at least two days as the investigation continues.

The Sheriff sought to reassure the public that there is “nothing terrorism related” or criminal suspected in the incident. “This, for all intents and purposes, appears to be an accident,” he noted, while declining to give an exact confirmation of the death toll beyond stating there were “less than 20” victims. The FAA said there were 12 people onboard.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation.