NTSB officials arrive in Butler, Missouri, to begin investigation into deadly skydiving plane crash

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Butler, Missouri, Monday morning to begin the investigation into the crash of a skydiving plane that claimed the lives of 12 people.The plane, a Pacific Aerospace 750XL, carrying one pilot and 11 skydivers crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday morning, killing everyone on board. Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said the aircraft went down around 11:30 a.m. while still on airport property. Skydive Kansas City confirmed the flight was operating in support of their skydiving business. Skydive Kansas City said it is cooperating with local authorities, the Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB as investigators work to determine what caused the crash.More coverage of the crash:12 dead after skydiving plane crashes near Butler, Missouri airportWhat caused the Butler plane crash? Aviation attorney explains key questions'It's tough': Father says son with two baby boys died in Butler plane crashButler, Missouri, plane crash: Full comments from U.S. House Rep. Mark AlfordButler, Missouri, plane crash: Full comments from Bates County Sheriff Chad AndersonNTSB Investigation into Butler skydiving crash:Officials with the NTSB say the scope and extent of every investigation they conduct is different, however, investigations tend to follow the same general process.Once the NTSB receives the initial notification of a crash, it will make the decision whether to investigate. In the case of the Butler crash, officials with the NTSB said around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, around five hours after the crash, that investigators would be traveling to Butler to conduct an in-person investigation. Officials with the NTSB confirmed with KMBC 9 News that they arrived on site early Monday morning. NTSB officials could be seen unpacking gear in Butler near the crash site. Investigators will now begin on-site fact gathering before analyzing that information and determining the likely cause of the crash. After that, a final report will be issued and the board will decide if there are any new safety recommendations to be learned from the investigation. Officials said this process is not linear and phases tend to overlap. The time between when an investigation is started and when a probable cause is released varies greatly on the complexity of the investigation. In general, the NTSB said officials try to complete an investigation within 12 to 24 months. When an investigative "go team" arrives on site, the investigators begin gathering information from outside the accident scene, such as flight logs, maintenance records and personal interviews. They work to document the airframe wreckage and accident scene, structures that provided power to the aircraft and other components like hydraulic, pneumatic and other systems. Investigators review any air traffic control communications and controller-pilot communications, pull weather details for the area, and study any potential issue that could have affected pilot performance. Go teams consist of technical experts from a wide variety of specialties across the country.