Twelve killed in plane crash near Missouri airport

A plane carrying a pilot and 11 skydiving passengers crashed in a field near Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri, on Sunday, killing all 12 people aboard, authorities said.

The crash occurred shortly after the aircraft took off around 11:30 a.m. from Butler Memorial Airport in Bates County, south of Kansas City. The plane, operated by Skydive Kansas City, went down in a field near Business Interstate 49.

According to Butler Memorial Airport acting manager Dennis Jacobs, the aircraft was unable to gain altitude after taking off and made a sharp left turn before crashing. Jacobs said the pilot may have been attempting an emergency landing on the highway when the aircraft went down.

The plane was engulfed in flames upon impact. A heap of blue and silver mangled metal lay in the grass near the airport, with a massive lineup of emergency vehicles gathered on a nearby street.

Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers responded to the scene, assisting the Butler Police Department and Bates County Sheriff's Office. The Federal Aviation Administration also had officials on scene Sunday afternoon, and a team from the National Transportation Safety Board was en route to investigate.

Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson described the crash as a "mass casualty" event during a Sunday afternoon news briefing. Some of the occupants' family members witnessed the crash, Anderson said. Clergy and volunteers went to the site to assist relatives, and officials were working Sunday afternoon to identify all victims and notify their next of kin.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Authorities believe the crash was an accident, Anderson said.