Several of the skydivers killed when their plane crashed moments after taking off from a Missouri airfield were experienced jumpers, including one of the nation's leading female jumpers.

Federal investigators were at the crash site Monday, a day after the plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers slammed into a field and burst into flames, killing all on board, authorities said.

Some family members of those who died were at the airport to watch the jump and witnessed the crash, said Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson.

Authorities have not released the victims' names, but friends and colleagues began paying tribute.

The United States Parachute Association, skydiving's governing body, said its technology director, Jen Sharp, was among those killed.

"Jen was a remarkable force whose passion for the skies was matched only by her dedication to the people in our sport," said Albert Berchtold, the organization's executive director.

Sharp taught skydiving instructors, wrote educational materials and made 6,800 jumps since her first one in 1989, according to her website.

She once jumped into Denver's Coors Field ballpark while dressed as the queen of England and was part of the Everest Skydive in the Himalayas, her site said.

Kevin Payne, who had jumped with seven of the skydivers on the plane, said they were all different in nearly every way, except that they were all brought together as a "sky family."

"There is a joy and peace and freedom to what we do. That's what most people never understand," Payne, of Parkville, Missouri, wrote in an email. "It's not about the adrenaline. It's about really flying together with your family in that brief, exquisite instant that people who live their lives on the ground will never understand."

It will be about a month before the National Transportation Safety Board issues a preliminary report, but weather did not appear to be a factor.

READ MORE: Skydiving plane crash investigations often reveal poor maintenance and weak safety oversight

Investigators have interviewed some witnesses, NTSB Vice Chairman Michael Graham said. The plane didn't have a "black box" like those that record crash data on commercial planes, but investigators will look for other kinds of devices that could provide insights, he said.

Skydiving plane went down soon after taking off

Witnesses say the plane was roughly 100 feet (30 meters) from the ground when it made an abrupt left turn before crashing.

It appeared to be losing power, and the pilot may have been trying to reach a highway to land when the plane stalled and went down nose first, said Dennis Jacobs, acting airport manager of Butler Memorial Airport.

The plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, he said. The crash site in the small town of Butler is roughly 65 miles (105 kilometers) south of Kansas City.

Skydive Kansas City said in a statement that its team and the skydiving community were in shock.

"This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community," the company said. "Our deepest sympathies are with the families, friends, and loved ones of all who were lost."

Plane made multiple flights over the weekend

The Pacific Aerospace 750XL — a single-engine turboprop plane — is a popular model in skydiving because it's designed for the sport and can quickly take parachutists to jumping altitudes while using short runways.

This particular aircraft, built in 2010, made nine successful flights in the days before the crash, including two on Sunday morning, according to FlightAware, a digital flight tracking company.

Red flags raised about skydiving oversight

Federal investigators have voiced concerns about oversight for skydiving operators in past crash investigations and have cited the need for maintenance guidelines, training for pilots and stronger aircraft inspections. The NTSB said after a crash killed 11 people in Hawaii that the Federal Aviation Administration's regulatory system isn't strong enough to ensure the safety of skydiving flights.

The FAA has yet to act on the NTSB's recommendations but said Monday it recently established a committee to recommend ways to increase skydiving safety and will consider the safety board's proposals.

"It's always frustrating when we see things the FAA hasn't acted on," said Graham, of the NTSB. "And then we continue to see accidents in those arenas."

Skydiving businesses operate under the same FAA rules that apply to any small plane owner as long as their flights don't venture more than 25 miles (40 kilometers) away. Those rules also cover tourist helicopters and other local flights because the FAA considers those operations less complicated than a charter company or airline.

But aircraft owners are expected to follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule and recommendations.

The United States Parachute Association said in a statement that Skydive Kansas City adheres to the safety standards set by the largest skydiving organization in the world, including all FAA maintenance requirements.

The skydiving industry says it has a strong safety record. The association said that last year nearly 3.5 million jumps were completed and that 16 civilians died, the majority from human error.

Associated Press reporters Kristen M. Hall in Kansas City, Missouri; Cathy Bussewitz in New York; Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho; and Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed.