Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- A skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, killed 12 people on Sunday.
- Victims included experienced skydivers and two tandem jumpers, officials confirmed Tuesday.
- The NTSB and FAA are investigating the crash, with reports expected in 1-2 years.
BUTLER, Mo. — Officials have released the names of the pilot and 11 passengers killed Sunday when a skydiving plane crashed moments after takeoff Sunday – devastating loved ones who watched and prompting federal authorities to investigate what caused the tragedy.
The victims were identified Tuesday by the Bates County Coroner's office as:
- Jennifer Sharp (55), from Grand Junction, Colorado.
- David Hershberger (54), from Liberty, Missouri.
- Dustin McKinney (44), from Stilwell, Kansas.
- Matthew Swope (39), from Independence, Missouri.
- William Fischer (23), from De Soto, Kansas.
- Nicholas Nash (40), from Harrisonville, Missouri.
- Michael Shanahan (54), from Kansas City, Missouri.
- Dane Cordes (26), from Richmond, Missouri.
- Marcus Miller (30), from Lawrence, Kansas.
- Sai Karthik Varma Datla (24), from India.
- Blake Thacker (24), from Olathe, Kansas.
- Kurt John Roy (69), from Windber, Pennsylvania.
Nine of the victims were experienced skydivers, and the other two were about go on tandem jumps, officials said.
The plane had just taken off from Butler Memorial Airport in western Missouri around 11:35 a.m. when it crashed, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
"It never reached an altitude of 100-200 feet. It was barely over the trees," Dennis Jacobs, the Bates County emergency management director, said Monday. He is also the acting manager for Butler Memorial Airport, located some 60 miles south of Kansas City.
The plane made a sharp left turn and plummeted about 300 yards from the runway as some victims' family members looked on, Jacobs said.
The plane crashed in a field and became engulfed in flames, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing told The Associated Press.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, and the National Transportation Safety Board could take one to two years to release its final report.
Most of the NTSB investigative team was on site Tuesday after some members' travel was delayed due to logistical problems with the World Cup in Kansas City and weather issues, according to the agency. Officials from the FAA arrived Sunday, Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said.
"We will see wherever the evidence takes us in this investigation," Graham said.
'Losing so many friends … is absolutely devastating'
Hershberger, an orchestra teacher with North Kansas City Schools, was among the victims who died in Sunday's crash, the school district said in a statement Monday.
He was "not only a passionate educator and talented musician, but one of the kindest humans," the Antioch Middle School and Oak Park High School principals said.
Sharp, who served as the US Parachute Association director of technology and a member of its skydiving team for nine years, also died on Sunday, the association said.
"Her unwavering commitment to advancing the sport, supporting our membership, and strengthening the organization was second to none," the US Parachute Association wrote in a statement on Monday.
Travis Phippen, who was friends with several of the victims, said the skydiving community is "incredibly close knit."
"Losing so many friends and respected members of the community at once is absolutely devastating," he said.
Jacobs, a pilot who is familiar with the Butler Memorial community, told CNN he can't bear to look up who was on the flight.
"I have not seen the manifest list of who was on board … because I did not want to know."
The crash is the deadliest in the history of Butler Memorial Airport, which had a grass strip for a runway before it was paved in the 1970s, Jacobs said.
It's also the deadliest plane crash in Missouri since 2004, Jacobs said.
Butler Memorial Airport is a small, rural airport. It has no scheduled commercial flights, Ewing said. Skydive KC is one of the few companies listed in pilot's guides as providing service at the airport.
The airport has one runway that is nearly 4,000 feet long and no control tower. Pilots communicate using a common frequency where they announce their intentions.
