A plane on a skydiving expedition crashed shortly after takeoff in Missouri on Sunday, killing all aboard.
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The plane, carrying 11 passengers and one pilot, crashed into a field and burst into flames near Butler, Missouri.
This is what we know so far.
Notifying next of kin
State authorities have notified family members of all 12 people who were killed, officials said Monday.
Representatives for the Bates County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri Highway Patrol, however, declined to publicly disclose names of the pilot and 11 passengers from Sunday’s fatal crash.
“As you can imagine, there are a lot of moving parts to this scene and investigation,” highway patrol spokesperson Sgt. Justin Ewing said in a statement to NBC News.
“As for the Missouri State Highway Patrol, we took lead making notification to all family members after the crash. All notifications have been made at this time.”
Last-ditch effort to land doomed plane
The plane, operated by Skydive Kansas City, crashed at about 11:30 a.m. near Butler Memorial Airport along Business Interstate 49, authorities said.
The craft struggled to gain altitude and made a sharp left turn before it crashed, perhaps showing the pilot was trying to make make an emergency landing on the highway, Butler Memorial Airport acting manager Dennis Jacobs said.
“In my opinion, I think (the plane) was losing power, and (the pilot) was trying to make it over to the highway and land, and he stalled and went down nose first and caught fire,” Jacobs said.
Sky diving community mourns
This region of Missouri, near the Kansas border, is a popular sky diving area, according to Northern Bates County Commissioner John Gray.
“You pray for the families and the friends of those families that lost loved ones today, nobody woke up this morning and thought, ‘Hey, I’m not going to be here tonight,’” Gray told NBC affiliate KSHB.
Despite the inherent danger of the skydiving, enthusiasts said their love of the jump outweighs any fears.
“It is our passion, everyone of us that does it,” said U.S. Parachute Association central regional director Charles Crinklaw, who knows many of the victims.
The national group said the greater community of skydivers was shaken by Sunday’s tragedy.
“USPA extends its deepest sympathies to the families, friends, and loved ones of all who were lost, and to the wider skydiving community,” the group said. “The community is close-knit, and aloss of this magnitude is felt profoundly across the entire sport.”
More information to come
The National Transportation Safety Board has been tasked with investigating this tragedy.
The NTSB has scheduled at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT press conference to further discuss the matter.