BUTLER, Mo. (AP) — Six skydivers and a pilot on board a small plane parachuted to safety before it crashed near a county airport in western Missouri, leaving the plane “a total loss,” officials said.
Preliminary information indicates the plane that crashed early Saturday afternoon was flying a skydiving mission, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The wreckage was found in a field east of the runways at Butler Memorial Airport, the Bates County Sheriff's Office said on social media. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a single-engine Cessna.
Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said in an email that all passengers parachuted to safety before the pilot did the same.
All were treated and released at the scene, according to the social media post.
The crash happened near the airport about 62 miles south of Kansas City. Wreckage will be recovered and examined by the NTSB as part of its investigation.
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BATES COUNTY —A pilot and six passengers survived a small plane crash that occurred just after 1p.m. Saturday near the Butler Memorial Airport, approximately one hour south of Kansas City.
First responders found the single-engine Cessna C206 in a hay field east of the airport runways, according to the Bates County, Missouri Sheriff.
The pilot had been able to parachute from the plane prior to the crash and was located at a hanger at the airport. EMS treated everyone involved at the scene and released them, according to the sheriff's office.
The plane is a total loss. The Bates County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the NTSB and the FAA in their investigations. Authorities released no additional details including the name of the pilot.