BUTLER, Mo. (AP) — A plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers on a skydiving outing in Missouri crashed in a field and was engulfed in flames Sunday, killing all aboard, authorities said.

The crash happened shortly after the plane took off from a local airport around 11:30 a.m., and some of the occupants’ family members witnessed the crash, said Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson.

A heap of blue and silver mangled metal lay in the grass near Butler Memorial Airport with a massive lineup of emergency vehicles gathered on a nearby street. Clergy and volunteers went to the site to assist relatives, Anderson said, and officials were working Sunday afternoon to identify all victims and notify their next of kin.

Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration were also on scene Sunday afternoon, Anderson said, and a team from the National Transportation Safety Board was en route.

The private plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, said Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director. It was identified as a single engine turboprop plane.

“It had just taken off and made a left turn” before the crash, Jacobs said. “In my opinion, I think it was losing power, and he was trying to make it over to the highway and land, and he stalled and went down nose first and caught fire.”

Emergency responders put out the fire in the wreckage soon after the crash, Jacobs said, calling the scene “brutal.” First responders also checked the area under the flight path and did not find anyone who might have tried to jump out before the plane came down, he said.

The Pacific Aerospace 750XL that crashed is a model that’s popular for skydiving and also has proven useful for carrying cargo, aerial surveying and medical evacuation flights. The aircraft can carry more than 4,000 pounds (1,800 kilograms) and is capable of taking off and landing on short runways, according to the manufacturer. The plane was built in 2010, according to FAA records.

Sky diving companies operate in the region eight or nine months of the year, with the season usually starting in late March or early April and lasting into October or November. Someone answering the phone at Skydive Kansas City declined to speak to a reporter from The Associated Press.

The crashed occurred on a sunny day in the area. Data from the digital flight tracking company FlightAware shows the plane had already completed two short flights on Sunday before the crash. Two more successful flights were logged Saturday, and five on Friday, according to FlightAware.

It’s not yet known what factors may have contributed to the crash, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing said, and those details will be part of the investigation carried out by NTSB officials.

The sheriff emphasized that the public is safe and this “appears to be an accident.”

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said poor maintenance has been a factor in a number of previous skydiving plane crashes because these companies are not held to a high standard under FAA rules. Guzzetti said skydiving companies are governed by the same rules any private plane owner has to follow and not the more stringent rules that charter flight operators and airlines adhere to.

“There’s been a whole history of skydiving accidents for inadequate maintenance and deficient safety culture,” said Guzzetti who used to be a crash investigator for both the NTSB and FAA.

The exact cause of Sunday’s crash won’t be clear for a year or more until the NTSB publishes its final report.

The NTSB has previously raised concerns about the weak oversight for skydiving operators in past crash investigations. The after a that killed 11 people in Hawaii that the FAA’s regulatory system isn’t strong enough to ensure the safety of skydiving flights.

.The small airport serves around 30 aircraft, all privately owned, including crop dusting companies and sky dive operators, Jacobs said.

The small town of Butler has a population of around 4,300 people and is roughly 65 miles (105 kilometers) south of Kansas City. The Butler Memorial Airport, as well as the highway that runs beside it, will remain closed while federal investigators are on the scene, Anderson said Sunday afternoon.

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This story has been updated to correct that Jacobs called the scene “brutal.”

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Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. Associated Press Transportation Writer Josh Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska, along with AP reporter Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa.

, 47; Jakson Stokes, 21; Colin Stokes, 21; and Austin Huskey, 37, were identified as the four people who died when a turboprop plane headed to Bob Adams Airport crashed on Emerald Mountain just outside of Steamboat Springs, the coroner’s office said in an email.

The crash happened early Friday under “unknown circumstances,” the National Transportation Safety Board said.

According to an obituary posted online, in Franklin, Tenn., and the organization helps small auto shops through professional development and coaching.

“Aaron was passionate about transforming the automotive sector, guiding shop owners to focus on strategic business development rather than just day-to-day operations,” his obituary states.

was the chief executive of Huskey Building Supply, also in Franklin, the company said in a post on Instagram.

“As part of the third-generation ownership of Huskey Building Supply, Austin Huskey continued his family’s legacy through generosity and ingenuity,” company officials wrote. “His faithful work saw Huskey continue to thrive in the midst of nationwide economic uncertainty.”

Both men were husbands and fathers, according to the statements.

Jakson Stokes was Aaron Stokes’ son, and Colin Stokes was his nephew, according to reporting from .

NTSB officials are investigating the crash, and a preliminary report will be released within 30 days, according to the agency.

An Epic Aircraft E1000 headed to Steamboat Springs crashed in a remote area on the south side of Emerald Mountain just after midnight Friday, Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar and the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed.

County officials are working to notify next of kin before releasing the names of those who died, but believe three of the people who died belonged to the same family, Routt County Coroner Mitch Locke said.

In a statement, Scherar said the plane crashed as it was approaching the Bob Adams Airport in Steamboat Springs from the south. The crash site is near the top of Emerald Mountain in a remote area.

The area near the crash site is marked with yellow tape, and access is restricted. Scherar asked the public to respect the closure.

The circumstances around the crash are unknown and an NTSB investigator is headed to the scene and expected to arrive shortly, federal officials said Friday evening. The investigator will document the scene and examine the aircraft, which will then be moved to a secure facility to be evaluated further.

Federal flight data shows the turboprop plane was owned by ALS Aviation LLC in Franklin, Tenn., and was purchased in 2024, while the company was formed on Dec. 7, 2021.

Franklin is located about 20 minutes from the Nashville International Airport and 30 minutes from the John C. Tune Airport, which handles private jet and turboprop flights and is popular with musicians in the area. Information on the plane’s flight history is blocked on public tracking sites, a strategy some celebrities use to maintain privacy. The Epic E1000 is a higher-end single-engine turboprop.

Anyone who witnessed or has information about the crash can contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.

Investigators believe the plane’s engine failed midflight, causing it to clip a tree and crash near Dotsero, in the 1200 block of Sweetwater Road, according to a from the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office.

Dotsero is roughly 18 miles northeast of Glenwood Springs and 43 miles west of Vail.

The crash involved a Stinson 108-3 single-engine airplane, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident.

teams will look at flight tracking data, recordings of air traffic control communications, airplane maintenance records and the pilot’s license, ratings and recency of flight experience during the investigation, a spokesperson for the agency said.

The plane is registered to an owner in Edwards, a town roughly 30 miles east of the crash site, according to Federal Aviation Administration .

Vail Public Safety Communications was notified about the incident by a Garmin alert shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office. Shortly after, someone called to report the plane crash.

Eagle County deputies responded to the crash site and found a 48-year-old man with a minor cut. He was the plane’s pilot, sheriff’s officials said.

The nearby plane had crashed onto its nose with its tail in the air, photos from the sheriff’s office show.

No one else was on board the plane at the time of the crash, and no other injuries were reported, according to the sheriff’s office.

Anyone who witnessed the accident, or who has surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation, is asked to contact federal investigators at witness@ntsb.gov.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

No one was injured in the accident, which occurred just before 6:15 p.m. near the intersection of Wolfensberger Road and Prairie Hawk Drive, said Taylor Temby, a police spokeswoman.

She did not immediately know how many people were in the plane.

As a result of the crash, Prairie Hawk Drive is closed from Wolfensberger Road to Switch Grass Drive, Temby said.

The and have both been notified of the crash, she said.

The two planes — a Cessna 172 and an Extra Flugzeugbau EA300, each carrying a pilot and a safety pilot — were trying to land on the same runway at the airport when they crashed and caught fire at about 10:40 a.m. on Aug. 31, according to a from the .

Federal investigators said the Cessna pilot was conducting flight instrument training at the airport with a safety pilot aboard, and he made multiple radio calls to alert the airport to his arrival.

He heard two other airplanes in the traffic pattern, and that one had already landed, as he continued to approach, according to the report.

The Extra 300 pilot was one of several that day, investigators said. He also made several radio calls stating his plan to land on runway 14, where the crash happened, after completing his flight sequence.

According to the report, the Extra 300 pilot heard another competitor would be landing before him, but didn’t hear any other planes in the traffic pattern. The Extra 300 pilot told investigators that the Cessna appeared below him on final approach, with no time to maneuver or avoid the collision.

The crashed planes came to a stop next to each other, off the edge of the runway, federal investigators said. A line of wreckage and debris extended roughly 500 feet from the planes, including separated wings and propellers.

Both people in the Cessna exited the plane with minor injuries, according to NTSB. The Extra 300 pilot sustained serious injuries but was able to get out of his aircraft. Federal officials said a post-crash fire prevented him from saving the safety pilot still trapped inside.

The safety pilot, , died from her injuries, according to the , which was hosting the competition that day.

Morris was a retired Air Force captain and an Air Force Wounded Warriors coach, leading injured active-duty Air Force members and veterans in sporting events, according to .

“She was doing something she loved, and I will forever remember her as one of the most kind and pure-hearted people I’ve ever met,” Morris’s friend, Allison Smith, told Denver7.

Investigators said both planes were destroyed in the crash, and the remains were taken to an NTSB facility for further examination.

The crash remains under investigation.

“We are heartbroken to share that there were no survivors in the single-engine plane crash that occurred earlier today, east of the Erie Municipal Airport runway,” .

The plane’s two occupants were not Colorado residents, police said. The pair’s identities had not been released as of Monday morning.

The crash happened at about 3:45 p.m. Sunday, Erie Police Department spokesperson Amber Luttrell said.

Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were working to identify the cause of the crash, she said. As of Sunday evening, the Erie Municipal Airport at 395 Airport Drive remained closed for the investigation.

Neither agency responded to requests for comment, but NTSB officials that the crashed plane was a .

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Police are investigating after a small plane crashed Sunday afternoon near the runway at the Erie Municipal Airport in Weld County, according to the department.

The about the single-plane crash at 3:59 p.m. Sunday. Department spokesperson Amber Luttrell said the crash happened about 15 minutes before that.

Two people were on board the plane, Luttrell said. The extent of their injuries was not immediately available.

Additional information about the crash, including the cause and the plane’s flight information, was not immediately available Sunday.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, Luttrell said.

Neither agency immediately responded to requests for comment on Sunday.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

The pilot made an emergency landing on Powers Boulevard near Barnes Road, where the plane was leaking fuel, according to a 4:38 a.m. post from the . It’s unknown what forced the pilot to land.

None of the three people on board the plane was injured, according to fire officials. Photos posted by the fire department show .

Two lanes of southbound Powers Boulevard were closed Wednesday morning for the cleanup and investigation, according to the .

The Federal Aviation Administration was responding to investigate the crash, fire officials said.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

The early morning plane ride on Sept. 5 was an instructional flight, according to the report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The pilot receiving instruction planned to purchase a similar airplane to the Beech P35 plane they were flying.

Perry “Matt” Feeney, 52, of Arvada and Lee “Rob” Hill, 64, of Greenwood Village were the pilot and passenger of the plane. The report does not specify who was receiving instruction.

No distress calls were recorded from either pilot, the report said.

A firefighter about 1.5 miles south of the crash heard the airplane fly overhead and then heard the engine stop completely, the report said. A woman who lives in a nearby neighborhood said she was walking when she saw the airplane flying on a different flight path and lower than she normally saw.

“She heard the engine go silent and looked up to observe the airplane in a ‘hard’ left bank towards the airport and in a descent,” the report read.

She thought the airplane was conducting training as it appeared normal, she said.

Just before hitting the ground, the plane banked right, according to camera footage from surrounding businesses.

The plane hit a paved driveway of an industrial facility, the report said. Portions of the right wing fell to the south of the debris path and the left wing was fractured.

The report said it appeared the plane collided with several concrete barriers. The landing gear and flaps were both found retracted, the report said.

The plane was retained for further examination, the report said.

The plane caught fire during the crash, causing a threat to a nearby structure and a large generator, county officials said. The incident was first reported as an explosion, and first responders contained that fire soon after.