Skydivers on plane that crashed "didn't have time to jump," witness says

1 hour ago 5

A witnesser of a deadly level crash that killed 11 skydivers and the aviator said "the level conscionable wholly similar shattered with the ground" upon impact.

The backstage level went down connected Sunday conscionable aft takeoff from Butler Memorial Airport successful Butler, Missouri, which is astir 60 miles southbound of Kansas City.

"It was wholly perpendicular with the wings to the sky, to the ground, going fast. And past they conscionable deed the ground," said Bailey Reed, who saw the clang happen. "The crushed and trees astir it exploded and it conscionable lit up successful flames."

Reed said the radical connected committee the level would not person had a accidental to deploy parachutes.

"They didn't person clip to jump," she told CBS News. "They were truthful debased to the crushed the parachutes wouldn't person deployed and determination was nary mode anyone could person jumped and survived that."

Family members of the radical connected the level were besides determination to cheer connected their loved ones and saw the calamity unfold.

"Our hearts spell retired to them," said Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson. "There's thing we truly tin accidental to marque it better."

Crash investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

"Key to this probe is going to beryllium looking astatine the mechanical information of the airplane itself, the engine," said Robert Sumwalt, the erstwhile seat of the NTSB.

Butler is simply a tiny municipality and the airdrome determination did not person a operation that was successful connection with the pilot.

The NTSB volition "be looking astatine the grooming of the pilot. They'll besides beryllium looking astatine the FAA oversight to spot if the FAA was providing capable surveillance implicit this peculiar operation," Sumwalt said. "Since this is simply a parachute cognition and not a commercialized operation, oftentimes the FAA doesn't person the resources to oversee tiny operations similar this."

The level was operated by Skydive Kansas City.

"This is simply a devastating nonaccomplishment for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community. Our deepest sympathies are with the families, friends, and loved ones of each who were lost," the radical said successful a statement. "At this time, the absorption of the absorption and ownership squad is to assistance investigators and to enactment the unit and the broader skydiving community. The full squad is successful shock, and the assemblage is close-knit."

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