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A beloved music teacher, a grandfather of six and a cancer survivor have been identified as three of the 12 victims killed in a fiery skydiving plane crash in Missouri on Sunday.
Eleven skydivers and their pilot died after the private aircraft made a sudden turn midair near Business 49 Highway and plummeted into a field around 11:30 a.m. local time.
The flight, which departed Butler Memorial Airport, was operating for Skydive Kansas City when it crashed into a fireball.
Avid skydiver and teacher Dave Hershberger was among those killed in the crash.
He taught orchestra at Oak Park High School and at Antioch Middle School in the North Kansas City School District, the Kansas City Star reported.
The longtime educator, who lived in Gladstone, was also a member of the Kansas City Wind Symphony, according to KMBC.
The principals of both schools sent a joint email to families on Monday, describing Hershberger as “not only a passionate educator and talented musician, but one of the kindest humans,” according to the statement obtained by The Star.
Grandfather Mike Shanahan, 54, was en route to complete his 23rd tandem jump when Sunday’s disaster unfolded, according to a GoFundMe.
Shanahan, a member of the Kansas City Sheet Metal Union Local #2, was remembered in the fundraiser as the best “papa” to six kids, a “humble human,” and a “very dedicated native to the city.”
He planned to skydive on Aug. 11 in California to raise money for breast cancer research in honor of his late sister, Nikki, whose fight with the disease inspired him to get into the sport, his mother, Gloria, told the Kansas City Star.
Expert skydiver and parachutist Jen Sharp was also slated to conduct a coach evaluation jump on Sunday’s flight, friends told KMBC.
Sharp served as the Director of Technology for the United States Parachute Association, the organization said in a press release.
“Jen was a remarkable force whose passion for the skies was matched only by her dedication to the people in our sport,” USPA Executive Director Albert Berchtold said in a statement.
“Her loss leaves an unfillable void in our office, our community, and our hearts. We are incredibly grateful for the years of laughter, innovation, and friendship we shared with her.”
Marcus Miller, a pipefitter from Lawrence, Kansas, was also killed in Butler on Sunday. His Facebook was full of photos of him skydiving and partaking in adventures during his travels, the outlet said.
Victim Matthew Swope, 39, was remembered by family as a beloved uncle, son, brother, and cancer survivor. The experienced skydiver had completed more than 750 jumps in his lifetime, KMBC reported.
Father of two, Dustin McKinney, 44, was also aboard the single-engine turboprop plane. The drummer and skydiver was a videographer for Skydive KC, the local outlet said.
A few other victims — including one as young as 23 — have been identified by friends and family as more information on the deadly crash emerges.
Will Fischer, 23, was one of four people about to complete the final jumps to become a skydive instructor on Sunday, friends told the outlet.
Nick Nash, an instructor and expert skydiver, and skydiver Dane Cordes have also been identified as victims.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board scrambled to the scene on Sunday to begin investigating the cause of the crash.
Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director, described the wreckage as “brutal.”
“It had just taken off and made a left turn,” Jacobs told the Associated Press.
“In my opinion, I think it was losing power, and [the pilot] was trying to make it over to the highway and land, and he stalled and went down nose-first and caught fire,” Jacobs said.
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