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Pacific Aerospace 750XL Crash Kills 12, Investigation Launched

6/17/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Investigators say the Pacific Aerospace 750XL lost power, stalled, and crashed after takeoff, killing the pilot and eleven skydivers.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration began an investigation on Monday and expect a report within thirty days.
Airport manager Dennis Jacobs called the crash the deadliest in the airport’s fifty-year history and ordered closure for recovery.

History

Historical Context

The 27 March 1977 Tenerife disaster, in which KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736 collided and killed 583 people, forced the ICAO and Spain’s Aviation Safety Board to mandate standard radio phraseology and crew-resource-management training. Those reforms now shape emergency procedures at New Zealand airports, where investigators compare today’s Pacific Aerospace 750XL crash to the Tenerife miscommunication cascade.

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Story summary

Investigators say the Pacific Aerospace 750XL lost power, stalled, and crashed after takeoff, killing the pilot and eleven skydivers.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration began an investigation on Monday and expect a report within thirty days.
Airport manager Dennis Jacobs called the crash the deadliest in the airport’s fifty-year history and ordered closure for recovery.

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