'Everybody on that plane was somebody that I know': Kansas City skydiver remembers plane crash victims

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Sunday morning's plane crash in Butler, Missouri, that killed 11 skydivers and the plane's pilot immediately sent ripple effects across Kansas City's skydiving community.

The flight, operated by SkydiveKC, crashed just after takeoff late Sunday morning at Butler Memorial Airport, about an hour south of Kansas City.

News of the crash spread quickly to Falcon Skydiving, based in Parkville. By Sunday afternoon, skydivers there offered a reminder of how tight-knit the skydiving community is.

Charles Crinklaw has skydived thousands of times, sharing his passion with hundreds of first-timers in Kansas City.

"It is our passion; every one of us that does it," Crinklaw said. "It's the only time that I feel completely in control in an out-of-control world. When we leave the aircraft, we're in control of everything."

But his jumps on Sunday carry a heavier weight.

Al Miller

"Everybody on that plane was somebody that I know," Crinklaw said. "I know four of them very, very well. They jumped with me [at Falcon Skydiving] on a regular basis."

Many first-time jumpers offered up their support for the victims and their families.

"I did hear about that right before we came here, and I pray for their families," skydiver Julie Webb said. "It kind of made me stop and pause and just think about it."

Crinklaw is a regular skydiver and the central regional director of the United States Parachute Association (USPA). He said 10 of the crash victims were experienced jumpers, having logged 500+ jumps. The other two victims were the pilot and a tandem jumper.

Al Miller

"We lost a USPA member that actually works for USPA in Virginia," Crinklaw said. "She was teaching new instructors how to be coaches. It shocked everybody. We just were walking around here numb for a while."

Skydiving planes are required to get maintenance every 100 hours, and pilots require special training in addition to their regular aviation hours, according to Crinklaw. Both plane and skydiving equipment are regularly checked before each jump.

"For something to happen, it's just rare," Crinklaw said. "This is an unfortunate accident."

Divers calculate the risks before each jump, but Crinklaw explained that takeoff and landing are the most dangerous parts.

"We know we're taking risks, but we mitigate them by having the best stuff we possibly can, the best equipment, the best pilots and the best airplanes," Crinklaw said.

While Crinklaw is reeling from the loss in the skydiving community, he's remembering his friends in the way he knows best.

"Every single jump I've already done [today], I've told them I'm thinking about them," Crinklaw said. "I'll probably make another eight or nine more today, and then we'll go sit with our friends tonight and sit around a bonfire and just hug and cry."

The names and ages of the plane crash victims have not been released yet.

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