12 Killed in Missouri Skydiving Plane Crash

Twelve people—11 skydivers and one pilot—were killed Sunday morning when a private plane crashed shortly after takeoff near Butler, Missouri.

The single-engine turboprop, operated by Skydive Kansas City, departed Butler Memorial Airport shortly before 11:30 a.m. local time. Bates County Emergency Management Director Dennis Jacobs stated the plane turned back before crashing near Business 49 Highway.

“It had just taken off and made a left turn,” Jacobs said. He suggested the pilot may have lost power and attempted an emergency highway landing before stalling, crashing nose-first, and catching fire.

First responders quickly extinguished the fire in the wreckage. Authorities also searched the flight path but found no evidence that anyone had jumped before the plane went down. Jacobs described the crash scene as “brutal.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the aircraft was a Pacific Aerospace P750, a model commonly used for skydiving operations. “Air traffic services were not being provided at the time,” the FAA noted in a statement.

Flight tracking data indicated the 2010-built plane had completed several successful flights earlier in the weekend. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation into the incident alongside the FAA and local law enforcement.

A final report detailing the official cause of the crash may take a year or more. However, the NTSB has previously raised concerns about the regulation of skydiving operators. Following a similar 2019 crash in Hawaii that killed 11 people, the agency stated that the FAA’s oversight system was not strong enough to ensure the safety of commercial skydiving flights.