"We are just beginning our investigation," said Kristi Dunks. "We don't have a lot of information at this time.
"Certain family members were contacted," she said. "At this point, I don’t have an exact number."
Dunks would not say whether there had been a distress call from the pilot. It was partly cloudy, the visibility was 10 miles and winds were blowing from the northwest around 10 miles per hour at the time of the crash, according to hourly temperature information from the National Weather Service.
The aircraft had departed from Oroville, Calif., and the pilot had filed a flight plan showing a destination of Bozeman, about 85 miles southeast of Butte. But the pilot canceled his flight plan at some point and headed for Butte, Fergus said.
Preliminary reports indicate the dead include numerous children, he said.
"We think that it was probably a ski trip for the kids," Fergus said.
Butte Silver-Bow Sheriff John Walsh said there were a few people at the cemetery at the time of the crash, but no one on the ground was injured. He would not describe witness reports.
"I heard a loud bang," said Nick Dipasquale, 19, who was working at a gas station across the street. "It sounded like someone ran into the building."
He said he ran outside to see flames as tall as the trees.
Dipasquale said people who were fueling their cars said they saw the plane flying low, begin a turn, start to wobble, and then slam into the ground.
Fergus said the Pilatus PC-12 aircraft was manufactured in 2001. Such planes are certified to carry 12 people.
The flight originated at Brown Field Municipal airport in San Diego on Saturday evening and flew to Redlands, Calif., where it left yesterday morning for Vacaville, Calif., according to Flight Aware, a website that tracks air traffic. From there it flew to Oroville, Calif., and then to Butte. The NTSB could not confirm that information.
"We are still gathering the information of the aircraft, it's purpose, what they were doing and where they were going," Dunks said.
In California, Tom Hagler said he saw a group of about a dozen children and four adults yesterday morning at the Oroville Municipal Airport, about 70 miles north of Sacramento.
