A skydiving plane crashed after take-off in Missouri, USA, killing 12 people including the pilot. The plane fell near the runway and burst into flames. In the initial investigation, engine failure is being considered as the reason for the accident.
Missouri: A major plane accident has occurred in Missouri, America. Here, shortly after take-off, an aircraft turned left and crashed near the runway and burst into a ball of fire. 12 people including the pilot died in this accident. This plane was carrying a skydiving team. The accident happened near Butler Memorial Airport.
The incident occurred around 11:35 am on Sunday morning, when the plane carrying the skydiving team took off. This plane was a single-engine turboprop plane of a private company named ‘Skydive Kansas City’. The aircraft could not reach the required altitude after take-off. According to airport officials, soon after takeoff, the plane suddenly veered to the left and crashed straight into the ground in a grassy field about 300 yards from the runway. The accident is one of the deadliest skydiving aircraft accidents in recent US history.
As soon as it fell on the ground, the plane caught fire and its debris was completely burnt to ashes. In the initial investigation, it is believed that a sudden engine failure could be the reason for the accident. Airport Manager Dennis Jacobs said that perhaps after the engine lost power, the pilot tried to land the plane on a nearby highway, but lost control and the plane fell down. The sad thing is that many relatives of the passengers present near the accident site saw this horrific scene with their own eyes.
Rescue workers immediately reached the spot and extinguished the fire, but none of the people on board the plane could be saved. Drone and foot searches were also conducted to investigate whether anyone had jumped out of the plane with a parachute, but no one was found. Among those killed were nine experienced skydivers and two who were skydiving for the first time.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have started investigating the accident. According to records, the Pacific Aerospace 750XL plane that crashed was manufactured in 2010 and is extensively used for skydiving. The team of experts is also investigating whether the accident happened due to lack of experience of the pilot, fault in the fuel filter or water getting mixed in the fuel.