12 killed in skydiving plane crash Sunday morning in Butler, Missouri

BUTLER, Mo. — A federal investigation is underway after a pilot and 11 passengers were killed in a crash of a skydiving plane Sunday morning at the airport in Butler, Missouri.

Bates County, Missouri, Sheriff Chad Anderson said first responders received a 911 call shortly before 11:30 a.m. Sunday that a skydiving plane had crashed just after takeoff from Butler Memorial Airport, about 60 miles south of Kansas City.

When crews arrived, they located the plane, a Pacific Aerospace 750XL, crashed and on fire on airport property.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said 11 skydivers and one pilot were on board at the time of the crash. There were no survivors.

Witnesses to the plane crash were family members of the occupants who died, according to Anderson.

"Our hearts go out to them," Anderson said. "We just pray for them and their loved ones and their friends and their family."

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Anderson said authorities were working Sunday afternoon to contact family members of those who were killed in the crash.

The flight was operated by Skydive Kansas City, which has offered skydiving flights out of the airport for years.

“This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community,” the company said in a statement Sunday afternoon. “Our deepest sympathies are with the families, friends and loved ones of all who were lost.”

Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration had arrived on the scene as of Sunday afternoon.

A spokesperson with the National Transportation Safety Board said its investigators were set to arrive on Monday. The NTSB will take the lead role in the investigation.

Skydive Kansas City said it is working closely with federal agencies as the investigation continues.

“At this time, the focus of the management and ownership team is to assist investigators and to support the staff and the broader skydiving community,” the company said. “The entire team is in shock, and the community is close-knit.”

Butler Memorial Airport remained closed Sunday afternoon.

What we know about the plane

Federal Aviation Administration records reveal the plane, a fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft built in 2010, is registered to SKYHI AERO LLC based in Jasper, Tennessee.

According to the manufacturer, the aircraft can be specially configured for skydiving purposes. When configured, it can carry up to 17 skydivers or six tandem teams.

FAA records show that the aircraft's current certificate had been issued in January 2023 and was set to expire in January 2030.

Flight-tracking service FlightAware shows the aircraft had made at least two other flights Sunday morning before the crash. It had also made two flights from the airport Saturday night, June 13.

An NTSB spokesperson said the aircraft was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 skydiving flight.

The Bates County Sheriff described the plane involved in Sunday's crash as a "local airplane," not a commercial airline.

Conditions at the time of the crash

Weather observations taken near Butler Memorial Airport show clear skies were reported in the area at the time of the crash, with temperatures in the low 70s. Winds were generally out of the north at around 10 miles per hour with gusts between 10 and 20 miles per hour.

An FAA spokesperson said air traffic control services were not being provided at the airport at the time of the crash.

Status of the investigation

As first responders continue work to recover bodies from the wreckage and notify next of kin, federal agencies are set to arrive and take over the investigation, which is standard in such crashes.

An NTSB spokesperson said that once investigators are on scene, they will begin documenting the scene and examining the aircraft.

Investigators will request radar data, weather information, aircraft maintenance records, and the pilot's medical records. They'll use this information to compile a preliminary report focused on factual information related to the crash. That report is typically available within 30 days.

NTSB Vice Chairman Michael Graham said investigators plan to collect any available avionics data.

"Our investigators will be looking for any other kind of avionics on board that aircraft that may be salvageable, and in that case, any of those devices, maybe even some personal electronic devices, may be recovered, and those will be sent to the NTSB headquarters in Washington, DC, for further analysis," Graham said.

KSHB 41's Lauren Schwentker also spoke with a former NTSB investigator who offered insight into what may have happened.

Jeff Guzzetti, an NBC News aviation analyst and former NTSB and FAA accident investigator, believes the pilot did not have enough altitude to turn back to the airport.

"This is an accident that occurred right after takeoff, with witnesses reporting some sort of an engine problem," Guzzetti said. "There's something called the impossible turn that pilots are trained not to do. You're not supposed to immediately turn around when you're less than 500 feet above the ground. You're supposed to just land or crash straight ahead. That is not what seemed to happen here."

A final report, which could take 12-24 months, will focus on the probable cause of the crash, along with any contributing factors.

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