Skydiving Plane Crash Kills 12 Near Missouri Airport After Reaching 100 Feet

Q: What mysterious event forced a skydiving plane to turn back moments before its fatal crash?

It is not yet known. Authorities have said the skydiving plane took off from Butler Memorial Airport, then turned back for an unknown reason before crashing, killing all 12 people on board. The Missouri State Highway Patrol, local law enforcement, the FAA and the NTSB are investigating. As of the information provided, officials have not identified any specific “mysterious event” that forced the aircraft to return, and there is no confirmed public evidence of a mechanical failure, onboard emergency, weather issue, or other trigger. Investigators are also working to determine whether any skydivers exited the plane before impact and what operational or technical factors led to the crash. A full NTSB finding on probable cause will likely take months. For now, the reason the plane turned back remains unexplained.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 14

Eleven passengers and a pilot died Sunday after a Pacific Aerospace P750 crashed moments after takeoff from Butler Memorial Airport, with responders finding all 12 dead near a field by the runway.
About 100 feet up, the aircraft appeared unable to gain altitude and turned left, likely trying to reach a flat roadway before stalling and hitting the ground inside the airport perimeter, local officials said.
Authorities said weather was unlikely to be a factor despite storms and 2 inches of rain the night before; Sunday was described as sunny when the crash call came just after 11:30 a.m.
The plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, and the low altitude meant those aboard would not have had time to use parachutes.
FAA and NTSB investigators are examining the crash at the town-run airport in Butler, a city of about 4,000 roughly 70 miles south of Kansas City.