Swedish Plane Crash Kills Pilot, 8 Skydivers

A small propeller plane crashed in central Sweden, killing all nine passengers on board. Police said the plane, which had eight skydivers and a pilot on board, crashed shortly after 7 p.m. local time on July 8, on 100 miles west of Stockholm.

The plane burst into flames when it collided with what looked to be an open field.

Local fire chief Per-Ove Staberyd, who coordinated the work of firefighters and other first responders, said per ABC News nobody survived the crash.

The flight was part of a skydiving event known as "jumping week," which took place during July's popular summer vacation month. Anna Oscarson, communications manager at the Swedish Parachute Association told SVT the DHC-2 Turbo Beaver aircraft was leased for the occasion.

"Örebro parachute club had rented it from Skåne. Usually, you parachute on the weekends, but they had rented a plane to jump more intensively throughout the week," she said.

"I am thinking of the victims, their families and loved ones in this very difficult time. I want to express my deepest sympathy and I share in their grief," Sweden's prime minister said on Twitter.

The probe is expected to take up to a year to conclude, Forbes said. The Swedish Accident Investigation Board's Peter Swaffer said there were "many unsolved questions." Still, preliminary investigations show the plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

Despite the lack of witnesses, authorities believe the plane did not go more than 150 feet above the earth. Investigators later confirmed that video footage of the aftermath showed the wreckage on fire.

Investigators have already spoken with air traffic controllers and visited the scene of the accident.

“We are now initiating a technical investigation in order to be able to salvage the aircraft to our investigation room as soon as possible,” said Swaffer.

At a press briefing, the head of the rescue attempt Peo Staberyd stated the possibilities of saving anyone were "essentially zero." Police spokeswoman Nicklas Hallgren described the situation as an "extremely serious accident" and said work to identify the victims is still ongoing.

The crash occurred almost exactly two years after nine people died in a skydiving accident near Ume in northern Sweden. Because such small planes lack flight recorders, investigators relied on data from the victims' smartphones to determine altitude and position.