KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Transportation Safety Board says it is reviewing surveillance video as part of its investigation into last month’s skydiving plane crash that killed 12 people in Butler, Missouri.
The revelation comes from an NTSB preliminary report released this week. The preliminary report is designed to document the factual details of the incident. A more detailed report looking at potential causes and offering recommendations would be included in a final report that can take more than a year to complete.
LINK | Read the NTSB’s full preliminary report
The plane’s pilot and 11 passengers boarded a Pacific Aerospace Limited 750XL airplane just after 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 14, at the Butler Municipal Airport.
LINK | Friends, loved ones remember victims killed in Butler skydiving plane crash
In the NTSB’s report, investigators noted it was the third “jump” flight conducted that morning by the pilot and aircraft.
NTSB investigators recovered security video footage from a nearby building at the airport that captured the aircraft's takeoff halfway down the runway. The video showed the plane start a gradual left turn to the west after takeoff. Shortly after, the wings were perpendicular to the ground. The aircraft crashed nose-down into a grass field.
Investigators searched and were unable to find any ADS-B data or track data from the flight. The airplane was not equipped — nor was it required to be — with a crash-worthy voice or data recorder.
Investigators did, however, recover multiple damaged GoPro cameras from the wreckage. They were transported to the NTSB’s Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, D.C., for further analysis.
In the hours following the June 14 crash, investigators said part of their review would include looking at the weight and balance of the aircraft.
The report revealed the pilot and SkyDiveKC used Burble Drop Zone Management, a third-party software service, as part of operations. The software reviewed by NTSB investigators indicated the airplane “met the weight and balance limitations for the accident flight.”
The operator told investigators that the pilot used a small clipboard to record load notes and fuel load calculations. The clipboard was not identified in the wreckage of the burned plane.
As noted during an NTSB news conference in the days after the crash, investigators said parachute jump flights operate under 14CFR Part. Such operations do not require FAA-issued operating certificates, FAA-issued operations specifications, or FAA-approved training and maintenance programs.
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