12 dead in crash of plane on skydiving outing in Missouri, authorities
say
[June 15, 2026]
By KRISTIN M. HALL and REBECCA BOONE
BUTLER, Mo. (AP) — A plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers on a
skydiving outing in Missouri crashed in a field and was engulfed in
flames Sunday, killing all aboard, authorities said.
The crash happened shortly after the plane took off from a local airport
around 11:30 a.m., and some of the occupants' family members witnessed
the crash, said Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson.
A heap of blue and silver mangled metal lay in the grass near Butler
Memorial Airport with a massive lineup of emergency vehicles gathered on
a nearby street. Clergy and volunteers went to the site to assist
relatives, Anderson said, and officials were working Sunday afternoon to
identify all victims and notify their next of kin.
Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration were also on scene
Sunday afternoon, Anderson said, and a team from the National
Transportation Safety Board was en route.
The private plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, said Dennis
Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management
Agency director. It was identified as a single engine turboprop plane.
“It had just taken off and made a left turn” before the crash, Jacobs
said. “In my opinion, I think it was losing power, and he was trying to
make it over to the highway and land, and he stalled and went down nose
first and caught fire.”
Emergency responders put out the fire in the wreckage soon after the
crash, Jacobs said, calling the scene “brutal.” First responders also
checked the area under the flight path and did not find anyone who might
have tried to jump out before the plane came down, he said.
The Pacific Aerospace 750XL that crashed is a model that’s popular for
skydiving and also has proven useful for carrying cargo, aerial
surveying and medical evacuation flights. The aircraft can carry more
than 4,000 pounds (1,800 kilograms) and is capable of taking off and
landing on short runways, according to the manufacturer. The plane was
built in 2010, according to FAA records.
Sky diving companies operate in the region eight or nine months of the
year, with the season usually starting in late March or early April and
lasting into October or November. Someone answering the phone at Skydive
Kansas City declined to speak to a reporter from The Associated Press.
The crashed occurred on a sunny day in the area. Data from the digital
flight tracking company FlightAware shows the plane had already
completed two short flights on Sunday before the crash. Two more
successful flights were logged Saturday, and five on Friday, according
to FlightAware.
[to top of second column]
|
The wreckage of a plane crash burns in a field in Butler, Mo,
Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Mid America News Review via AP Photo )
It’s not yet known what factors may have contributed to the crash,
Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing said, and those details
will be part of the investigation carried out by NTSB officials.
The sheriff emphasized that the public is safe and this “appears to
be an accident.”
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said poor maintenance has been
a factor in a number of previous skydiving plane crashes because
these companies are not held to a high standard under FAA rules.
Guzzetti said skydiving companies are governed by the same rules any
private plane owner has to follow and not the more stringent rules
that charter flight operators and airlines adhere to.
“There’s been a whole history of skydiving accidents for inadequate
maintenance and deficient safety culture,” said Guzzetti who used to
be a crash investigator for both the NTSB and FAA.
The exact cause of Sunday’s crash won’t be clear for a year or more
until the NTSB publishes its final report.
The NTSB has previously raised concerns about the weak oversight for
skydiving operators in past crash investigations. The agency said
after a 2019 crash that killed 11 people in Hawaii that the FAA’s
regulatory system isn’t strong enough to ensure the safety of
skydiving flights.
.The small airport serves around 30 aircraft, all privately owned,
including crop dusting companies and sky dive operators, Jacobs
said.
The small town of Butler has a population of around 4,300 people and
is roughly 65 miles (105 kilometers) south of Kansas City. The
Butler Memorial Airport, as well as the highway that runs beside it,
will remain closed while federal investigators are on the scene,
Anderson said Sunday afternoon.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
