July 3 (UPI) — A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board determined there was no obvious reason for last month’s crash of a skydiving plane that killed 12 people in Missouri.
The report, issued Thursday, said there was no engine failure and the aircraft’s fuel was clean at the time of the crash, The New York Times reported. The weather was also not a factor and the plane met proper weight and balance standards, WDAF-TV in Kansas City, Mo., reported.
The plan crashed in Butler, Mo., on June 14, killing 11 skydivers and a pilot. There were no survivors in the crash, which happened near the Butler Memorial Airport.
Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County emergency manager director, told CNN the single-engine turbo prop plane was unable to gain visual latitude after taking off. It made a sharp turn to the left before crashing about 300 yards away from the runway.
He said Skydive Kansas City operated the aircraft.
It will likely take months for the NTSB to complete a full investigation and report on the crash.
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