Butler, Missouri skydiving accident with Skydive KC leaves 12 dead after plane crashing moments after take off. Venture operated by Skydive Kansas City. All 11 skydivers and pilot killed. Cause of crash unknown.
A pilot and 11 skydivers have died after a private plane crashed just moments after taking off from Butler, Missouri on Sunday morning.
The tragedy occurred circa 11.30am, according to the Bates County Emergency Management.
The plane took off from Butler Memorial Airport when it ‘wasn’t able to get enough climb,‘ and attempted to make a left turn to land on an adjacent highway, a spokesperson told FOX4.
UPDATE: 12 people were killed after a plane carrying 11 skydivers and a pilot crashed near Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri. -FOX4 https://t.co/UWdylPia1M pic.twitter.com/QyxoXy65Fb
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 14, 2026
Pilot sought to make emergency landing
‘The plane wasn’t able to land,’ and it crashed near Business 49 Highway, the spokesperson confirmed.
‘It had just taken off and made a left turn’ before the crash, the rep added. ‘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.’
The plane crashed about 300 yards from the runway in a field adjacent to the airport, Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director confirmed.
The aircraft involved in the skydiving crash that killed 12 people in Butler, Missouri, according to a shared post on X, yet to be confired by authorities was a Pacific P-750 XSTOL. It made a very steep descent from 13,000 ft. FlightRadar24 last picked up the aircraft at 3,100 ft before it disappeared from radar.
The Pacific Aerospace 750XL is a short‑runway capable turboprop often used for skydiving, cargo, aerial surveying, and medical evacuation. It can carry up to 17 skydivers and was manufactured in 2010 according to KOMO News.
The aircraft involved in the skydiving crash that killed 12 people in Butler, Missouri, was a Pacific P-750 XSTOL. It made a very steep descent from 13,000 ft. FlightRadar24 last picked up the aircraft at 3,100 ft before it disappeared from radar. pic.twitter.com/Yme3E79Nr4
— J (@Jappers69) June 14, 2026
Investigation into skydiving plane crash launched
Authorities have not yet released the identities of the passengers.
At this time, emergency crews and law enforcement with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board were on the scene.
Inadequate maintenance and deficient safety culture
The spokesperson added that the investigation will last multiple days as crews work to determine what led up to the crash and clear the wreckage.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said that 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.
Emergency management officials said all lanes of the highway, stretching a half-mile north and south of the crash site, remain closed.
No timeline for the road reopening has been announced.
Kansas City skydiving center founded by a father-son duo
The crash site was secured by police tape as local law enforcement is on the scene.
The small airport serves around 30 aircraft, all privately owned, including crop dusting companies and sky dive operators.
Butler, Missouri, is roughly 65 miles south of Kansas City.
Skydive Kansas City is a ‘premier skydiving center’ located in Orange St Butler, Missouri.
The company has been in business since 1998, serving the Kansas City, Topeka, and Overland Park community.
The skydiving center was founded by a father-son duo Chris and John Hall, united by a passion for the adrenaline-fueled sport according to the dailymail.
‘John has skydived since 1973 and ‘witnessed the industry grow from old military round parachutes to today’s modern ram-air canopies,’ according to their website.
He was long regarded as one of the region’s top demonstration jumpers, performing aerial displays across the Kansas City metro area since the early 1970s.
