Overview
- A Pacific Aerospace P750XL operated by Skydive Kansas City crashed after takeoff from Butler Memorial Airport on June 14, killing the pilot and 11 passengers.
- Airport surveillance footage in the NTSB preliminary report shows the airplane began a gradual left turn after liftoff, rolled until the wings were nearly perpendicular to the ground, and then struck a grassy field nose-first.
- NTSB inspectors found no signs of preimpact engine or mechanical failure and reported a post-accident fuel sample showed no contamination.
- A review of the operator’s load records and third-party software indicated the flight met weight and balance limits, and investigators recovered multiple damaged GoPro cameras that were sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory for analysis.
- The pilot held a commercial certificate with over 4,100 hours and the operator reported no prior safety concerns; a full probable-cause report with safety recommendations is expected in a year or more and the crash has renewed scrutiny of skydiving oversight because such flights are not required to carry crashworthy recorders.