Federal investigators are examining why the aircraft went down shortly after takeoff.
BUTLER, Mo. — A skydiving plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers crashed in a field near Butler Memorial Airport on Sunday, killing everyone aboard after the aircraft went down shortly after takeoff and caught fire, authorities said.
The crash brought federal investigators to Bates County and left families waiting for formal victim identifications. Sheriff Chad Anderson said some relatives saw the crash, and clergy and volunteers were brought to the scene to help them as officials worked to notify next of kin.
The aircraft took off around 11:30 a.m. from the local airport, about 65 miles south of Kansas City. Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County emergency management director, said the plane had just departed and turned left before it fell. “In my opinion, I think it was losing power,” Jacobs said, adding that the pilot appeared to be trying to reach the highway before the plane stalled, dropped nose first and caught fire.
Emergency crews extinguished the flames soon after reaching the wreckage. Photos from the scene showed blue and silver metal torn apart in a grassy area near the airport, with emergency vehicles lining a nearby road. A Bates County sheriff’s deputy was posted at a roadblock, and Missouri State Highway Patrol officials briefed reporters while local authorities secured the area.
The plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, Jacobs said. It was identified as a single-engine Pacific Aerospace 750XL turboprop, a model often used for skydiving flights, cargo work, aerial surveying and medical evacuation flights. FAA records show the aircraft was built in 2010. The manufacturer says the model can carry more than 4,000 pounds and can use short runways.
Federal Aviation Administration officials were at the crash site Sunday afternoon, and a National Transportation Safety Board team was headed to Butler. The cause of the crash had not been determined. Investigators were expected to review the wreckage, flight records, maintenance history, weather, witness accounts and the pilot’s actions before issuing findings.
Flight tracking data showed the plane had completed two short flights earlier Sunday before the crash. It also logged two flights Saturday and five Friday. The crash happened on a sunny day, according to reports from the area. First responders checked beneath the flight path and found no sign that anyone had jumped before the aircraft went down, Jacobs said.
Butler is a town of about 4,300 people. Its small airport serves about 30 privately owned aircraft, including crop dusting and skydiving operations. Anderson said the airport and the highway beside it would remain closed while federal investigators worked at the site.
Authorities had not released the victims’ names by Sunday afternoon. The next milestone is the federal investigation’s early findings, expected after investigators finish their first review of the wreckage and records.
Author note: Last updated June 15, 2026.