Butler:
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, preliminary information indicated that the aircraft, a Pacific Aerospace P750, crashed while departing the airport at around 11:35 am local time on June 14.
The FAA said all 12 people on board died in the crash.
“At the time of the crash, the FAA was not providing air traffic control services,” the regulator said, adding that the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation and provide further updates.
Al Jazeera, citing Missouri Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing, reported that the aircraft was carrying people for a skydiving operation at the time of the crash.
Ewing said emergency teams were able to extinguish the fire shortly after the crash and described the scene as “brutal”.
The aircraft came down in a field adjacent to the airport, while authorities moved to close a nearby roadway as a precaution, he said.
The identities of the victims were not immediately released.
This is a developing story.
