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🇺🇸 A pilot and 11 passengers preparing to skydive were killed when a plane crashed moments after takeoff Sunday – devastating loved ones who watched and prompting federal authorities to investigate what caused the tragedy.

The plane had just taken off from Butler Memorial Airport in western Missouri around 11:35 a.m. when it crashed, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

“It never reached an altitude of 100-200 feet. It was barely over the trees,” said Dennis Jacobs, Bates County emergency management director and the acting manager for Butler Memorial Airport, located some 60 miles south of Kansas City.

The plane made a sharp left turn and plummeted about 300 yards from the runway as some victims’ family members looked on, Jacobs said.

The plane crashed in a field and became engulfed in flames, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing told The Associated Press.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, and the National Transportation Safety Board could take one to two years to release its final report.

BREAKING: A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base, triggering an emergency response.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene as thick black smoke billowed from the wreckage scattered across the desert airfield.

More details, including… pic.twitter.com/JRx3R4ElJW

— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 15, 2026

A 🇺🇸 U.S Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday, the base said.

"Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing," the base said in a statement.

The crash was reported at about 11:20 a.m. local time.

The base has closed the airfield and said all inbound planes are being diverted.