On Sunday, 12 people lost their lives after a skydiving plane crashed in Missouri, USA, including a 24-year-old Indian techie, according to police. The incident at Butler Memorial Airport in Bates County, some 80 miles south of Kansas City, claimed the life of one Indian, who has been identified as Sai Karthik Varma Datla, as per NDTV.
Datla worked as a technology specialist in the Kansas City metropolitan region, according to his LinkedIn page. He worked in the healthcare technology industry after earning a master's degree in computer science from the University of Central Missouri.
According to his profile, he had formerly worked at Capgemini and was currently employed with AdventHealth. After relocating to the US for further education, Datla developed a career working on software deployment, automation, and cloud migration projects.
ALSO READ | US Drops 'Indo' From Indo-Pacific Command After Eight Years, Says 'Honours Deep Historical Roots'
According to the United States Parachute Association, the organisation that oversees skydiving, Jen Sharp, its director of technology, was also killed in the collision.
Just before 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Datla, along with several seasoned skydivers, was aboard a 2010 Pacific Aerospace 750XL when it crashed shortly after taking off from Butler Memorial Airport. The plane crashed into a field and caught fire, killing all 12 occupants, including a pilot and 11 skydivers, according to federal authorities.
The aircraft lost control shortly after takeoff, turned around for no apparent reason, and crashed into an airport field. According to witnesses, the plane abruptly turned left before falling at a height of about 100 feet (30 meters) above the earth.
According to Dennis Jacobs, acting airport manager at Butler Memorial Airport, the plane looked to be losing power, and the pilot might have been attempting to land on a highway when it stopped and went down nose-first.
Michael Graham, vice chairman of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), stated on Monday that while investigators are speaking with all of the witnesses and compiling images and recordings of the collision, it is still too early to make a firm determination about what transpired.
ALSO READ | Mumbai Real Estate Costs To Rise? BMC Water Supply Halt To Construction Sites Raises Fresh Concerns
Investigators will search for other types of electronics that might offer answers, he said, even if the aircraft lacked a "black box" like those that record crash data on commercial aircraft.
A popular type in skydiving, the Pacific Aerospace 750XL is a single-engine turboprop that can swiftly transport parachutists to jumping altitudes on limited runways.
According to FlightAware, a computerised flight tracking organisation, this specific aircraft, which was manufactured in 2010, completed nine successful flights in the days before the crash, including two on Sunday morning.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
