Twelve people, including the pilot, were killed on Sunday when a plane carrying skydivers crashed in a field near Butler Memorial Airport in Missouri. The crash occurred shortly after 11:30 a.m. In an area about 60 miles south of Kansas City. According to Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson, some family members witnessed the crash from the ground. Emergency responders arrived to find the aircraft engulfed in flames; first responders reported that no one appeared to have attempted to jump from the plane before it went down. The aircraft was identified as a single-engine turboprop Pacific Aerospace 750XL, manufactured in 2010, and was operated by Skydive Kansas City. Acting airport manager Dennis Jacobs stated the plane had just taken off and made a left turn before crashing. Jacobs suggested the plane may have been losing power, causing the pilot to stall while attempting to reach a highway. Flight tracking data from FlightAware showed the plane had completed two short flights on Sunday before the crash, following several successful flights on the preceding days. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident and is expected to release preliminary details within a month, with a final report taking a year or more. The NTSB has previously cited weak oversight and inadequate maintenance as recurring issues in skydiving accidents. For example, following a 2019 crash in Hawaii that killed 11 people, the NTSB stated the FAA’s regulatory system was not strong enough to ensure safety, noting that a previously damaged wing had gone unnoticed during inspections. Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti noted that skydiving operations are governed by rules similar to private plane owners rather than the more stringent standards required for airlines or charter flights. This can allow maintenance issues to persist. While the United States Parachute Association reports that the industry maintains a generally strong safety record, Guzzetti highlighted a history of accidents linked to deficient safety cultures and lax maintenance.