TAKE-OFF TRAGEDY

12 Dead in Horror Plane Crash

The plane full of skydivers had just taken off.

Twelve people, including the pilot, were killed when a private plane crashed in Missouri shortly after takeoff Sunday. The plane crashed around 11:30 a.m. after departing from Butler Memorial Airport. The plane was unable to climb to a sufficient altitude before attempting a landing near Business 49 Highway in Butler, about 65 miles south of Kansas City. The crash victims were reportedly employees and customers of Skydive Kansas City, and their pilot. Their identities have not been released. The company has been in business since 1998, serving the Kansas City, Topeka, and Overland Park communities. All lanes of the highway were closed on Sunday, with authorities investigating the crash. The FAA told The Daily Mail that the plane was a Pacific Aerospace P-750. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the crash.