A teacher, a cancer survivor and a new dad: victims of Missouri skydiving plane crash identified

Left: Dave Hershberger Right: Marcus Miller Photograph: Facebook View image in fullscreen Left: Dave Hershberger Right: Marcus Miller Photograph: Facebook A teacher, a cancer survivor and a new dad: victims of Missouri skydiving plane crash identified A group of 12 people – nine skydivers, two tandem jumpers and a pilot – were killed in the weekend crash in Butler A high school music teacher, a cancer survivor and a new father with two baby boys have been identified by family members as victims of a weekend skydiving plane crash in Missouri that killed 12 people. According to the Bates county department of emergency management, the aircraft, a Pacific Aerospace P750XL, was carrying nine experienced skydivers, two tandem jumpers and a pilot. All died when the plane – which had just taken off from the Butler, Missouri , airport south of Kansas City – took an unexpected turn and nosedived into the ground 300 yards from the runway. Missouri community mourns deaths of 11 skydivers in plane crash: ‘It shocked everybody’ Read more Music teacher Dave Hershberger, named as one of the 12 victims, was being mourned by students at Oak Park high school, and Antioch middle school where he also taught, as reported by ABC News affiliate KMBC. The popular educator, who worked for the North Kansas City school district for 11 years, was also a veteran skydiver whose account on Facebook was filled with images of him on tandem jumps. Hershberger, who taught band and orchestra, was “not only a passionate educator and talented musician, but one of the kindest humans,” the principals of both schools said in a joint statement. The mother of Matthew Swope, 39, paid tribute to her son in a Facebook post that requested prayers for his family, including three sisters and two brothers. Dorcie Swope, a widow, said her son “died doing what he loved best”. KMBC cited friends and family members who said Matthew Swope was a survivor of cancer who had completed more than 750 parachute jumps – and was an “expert” skydiver. The outlet spoke to the father of another victim, who it did not name. “My son was on the plane. He had a new business, two new baby boys and everything was going good for him,” the person said, adding that his son had “been getting into skydiving” and had made up to 500 jumps. “[It’s] just something he loved to do,” he said. “You just never start the morning thinking you’re going to die, you know. He had two new baby boys. It’s tough.” At least four of the victims were about to make their final jumps before becoming skydiving instructors, KMBC said. Among them was Will Fischer, 23. “Nothing can describe the grief I feel … To my annoying little brother, I will miss you forever,” his sister posted on Facebook, according to the Kansas City Star . Fischer’s friend Kevin Stone, a skydiving instructor in Chicago with whom he made his first jump, told the newspaper he took a group up on Monday in the same type of plane that crashed in Missouri. “I was breathing a little