Plane crashed near Kansas City while on skydiving mission

BUTLER, Mo. (AP) — Six skydivers and a pilot aboard a small plane parachuted to safety before it crashed near a western Missouri county airport, leaving the plane “a total loss,” officials said.

Preliminary information indicates the plane that crashed Saturday afternoon was on 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 it 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 occurred near the airport, about 62 miles south of Kansas City. The 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 have survived a plane crash that occurred just after 1 p.m. Saturday near Butler Memorial Airport, about an 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 was able to parachute from the plane before the accident and was in a hangar 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 FAA with their investigations. Authorities have not released any additional details, including the name of the pilot.