Loved ones and friends continued to mourn the 12 victims who died Sunday morning when a skydiving plane crashed after takeoff from Butler Memorial Airport.

On Monday, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Butler to join Federal Aviation Administration investigators to start piecing together information about the crash.

As they continue their work, were learning more about the 11 skydivers on the plane and the pilot at the controls.

RELATED | Its heart-wrenching: Butler community mourns after deadly plane crash

RELATED | 'Everybody on that plane was somebody that I know': Kansas City skydiver remembers plane crash victims

This story will be updated as we learn more.

One of Michael Shanahan's friends, Brandon Carney, said Shanahan was among those who died in Sunday's plane crash. Carney said Shanahan was on his way to his 23rd tandem jump.

"He was a humble human and a very dedicated native to the city," Carney said in a GoFundMe post on Monday. "He loved his friends, and this man worked very hard."

Carney said Shanahan was getting ready for retirement after a 36-year career as part of the Kansas City Sheet Metal Union Local No. 2.

"The world lost an amazing man yesterday," Carney said. "I have no other words than please keep these children and this family in your prayers because this man will truly be missed."

The United States Parachute Association told KSHB 41 News on Monday that its Director of Technology, Jennifer Sharp, was among those killed in Sunday's crash.

"Jen was a remarkable force whose passion for the skies was matched only by her dedication to the people in our sport," USPA Executive Director Albert Berchtold said in a news release Monday. "Her loss leaves an unfillable void in our office, our community, and our hearts. We are incredibly grateful for the years of laughter, innovation, and friendship we shared with her."

Sharp had worked with USPA for nine years, working to advance the sport, supporting USPA membership and strengthening the organization.

"She spent her career ensuring that our community stayed connected, safe and forward-looking," the organization said.

The North Kansas City School District notified families at Oak Park High School and Antioch Middle School on Monday that orchestra teacher Dave Hershberger was among those who died Sunday in the crash.

"Mr. Hershberger was a beloved member of the Antioch and Oak Park family and was not only a passionate educator and talented musician, but one of the kindest humans. Mr. Hershberger has inspired so many of our students through his love for music and the way he treated others every day. He modeled appreciation and genuine care for everyone who was lucky enough to know him."

"On behalf of everyone in our community, we have shared our condolences with Mr. Herberger's family. We are working closely with them to provide support where we can."

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Theres still plenty to unpack in a plane crash that killed 12 people in rural Bates County, Missouri on Sunday.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are leading the investigation. Local authorities told KSHB 41, families of victims are still being notified about the crash.

The Butler community is also in shock over the crash. Northern Bates County Commissioner John Gray KSHB 41 News Reporter Ryan Gamboa, Bates County is a skydiving destination, and it isnt uncommon to see enthusiasts catching an adrenaline rush.

Skydive KC, man, thousands of people come down to skydive, Gray said Sunday afternoon just hours after the crash. You pray for the families and the friends of those families that lost loved ones today, nobody woke up this morning and thought, 'Hey, Im not going to be here tonight.'

Gray says hes lived through a plane crash while on a trip in Alaska and was able to walk away from the accident.

For folks in Butler, its not uncommon that a beautiful Sunday would include a skydiving trip. He experienced a lot of anxiety when he heard about Sundays crash after church.

I come out of church this morning and my wife called and your heart just sinks. You dont even know how to respond, he recalled. My first phone call, after I got to Butler, was to a friend of mine. Hes done 5 to 6,000 jumps and was supposed to be there this morning. He says told me he was okay. He and a buddy went to another jump zone -- in 20 years theyve never been there A good friend of mine lives down the road, his daughter jumped just a few days ago You just pray its no one you know.

Authorities expect to remain on scene for a couple days, according to Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson.

When I start to think about it, I start to break down, said Dennis Jacobs.

Jacobs is the acting Manager of the Butler Airport Commission and Bates County Emergency Management Director and told KSHB 41 hes finding ways to keep himself busy and take his mind off the tragedy.

I saw smoking wreckage, burning wreckage, Jacobs told Gamboa in an interview. It was just, the heartache in seeing that is just horrible. Knowing now it was 12 people on board, just thinking for them and their families, the heartache and loss involved in that. Its hard to wrap my head around it sometimes.

In one moment, things change, he added.

Jacobs explained state aid had begun to arrive on Sunday evening, including numerous outside organizations to provide support to first responders and some grieving family members who witness the incident.

Jacobs told Gamboa most of the skydivers on board a Pacific Aerospace 750XL were experienced, while two novice skydivers would jump as a tandem, and there was only one pilot. He added the planes manifest, which is an official, confidential document to detail what passengers and equipment is on board, did change. As to what changed, Jacobs did not know.

There is still no indication as to what caused the plane to go down.

According to Jacobs, Skydive KC was involved in a 2024 crash near the Butler Memorial Airport.

A jumper unintentionally deployed their emergency parachute causing the individual to fall out of the plane and make contact with the aircrafts horizontal stabilizer.

The plane crashed in an open farm field and all individuals in the aircraft parachuted out and lived, the first jumper sustained serious injuries. A 2024 NTSB report states that the aircraft was destroyed.

In June of 2025, a plane experiencing a mechanical function and became inoperable, lost control and crash-landed on top of an aircraft hangar in Johnson County, Kansas.

Two people aboard the aircraft suffered minor injuries. The plane originated from Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri.

Jacobs also confirmed that the aircraft was operated and leased by the same company involved in Sundays deadly plane crash. Jacobs told KSHB 41, the airport commission never had any safety concerns with Skydive Kansas City.

Freak accidents, he stated. Theyve had their fair share of them.

He went on to add the airport commission has no authority to refuse ones use of the property, even if there were suspicion. Jacobs explained they would contact local law enforcement to handle that and the FAA could get involved for a ramp check, which pilots want to avoid. Jacobs did not indicate the operators had any previous ramp checks by the FAA.

Additionally, the FAA has strict guidelines for commercial operators and must undergo strict inspections. It is not under the per view of the local airport commission.

His focus remains on providing as much support to the families impacted, local law enforcement, and cooperating and assisting with federal investigators as needed.

The impact its going to have on the community is right now were in shock and there is a lot of people praying, Jacobs added.

The investigation remains on-going and local non-profits are offering services to those impacted by Sundays incident. For more details on services provided by Code 1 Wellness, click here.

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Sunday morning's plane crash in Butler, Missouri, that killed 11 skydivers and the plane's pilot immediately sent ripple effects across Kansas City's skydiving community.

The flight, operated by SkydiveKC, crashed just after takeoff late Sunday morning at Butler Memorial Airport, about an hour south of Kansas City.

News of the crash spread quickly to Falcon Skydiving, based in Parkville. By Sunday afternoon, skydivers there offered a reminder of how tight-knit the skydiving community is.

Charles Crinklaw has skydived thousands of times, sharing his passion with hundreds of first- timers in Kansas City.

"It is our passion; Everyone of us that does it," Crinklaw said. "It's the only time that I feel completely in control in an out-of-control world. When we leave the aircraft, we're in control of everything."

But his jumps on Sunday carry a heavier weight.

"Everybody on that plane was somebody that I know," Crinklaw said. "I know four of them very, very well. They jumped with me [at Falcon Skydiving] on a regular basis."

Many first-time jumpers offered up their support for the victims and their families.

"I did hear about that right before we came here, and I pray for their families," skydiver Julie Webb said. "It kind of made me stop and pause and just think about it."

Crinklaw is a regular skydiver and the central regional director of the United States Parachute Association (USPA). He said 10 of the crash victims were experienced jumpers, having logged 500+ jumps. The other two victims were the pilot and a tandem jumper.

"We lost a USPA member that actually works for USPA in Virginia," Crinklaw said. "She was teaching new instructors how to be coaches. It shocked everybody. We just were walking around here numb for a while."

Skydiving planes are required to get maintenance every 100 hours, and pilots require special training in addition to their regular aviation hours, according to Crinklaw. Both plane and skydiving equipment are regularly checked before each jump.

"For something to happen, it's just rare," Crinklaw said. "This is an unfortunate accident."

Divers calculate the risks before each jump, but Crinklaw explained that the plane taking off and the landing are the most dangerous parts.

"We know we're taking risks, but we mitigate them by having the best stuff we possibly can, the best equipment, the best pilots and the best airplanes," Crinklaw said.

While Crinklaw is reeling from the loss in the skydiving community, he's remembering his friends in the way he knows best.

"Every single jump I've already done [today], I've told them I'm thinking about them," Crinklaw said. "I'll probably make another eight or nine more today, and then we'll go sit with our friends tonight and sit around a bonfire and just hug and cry."

The names and ages of the plane crash victims have not been released yet.

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Residents of Butler, Missouri, and the greater Kansas City-area skydiving community are in mourning after a plane carrying 11 skydivers and a pilot crashed Sunday morning, killing all 12 on board.

Right now, its heart-wrenching to be real honest, John Gray, North Commissioner, Bates County, Missouri, said Sunday in an interview with KSHB 41 News reporter Ryan Gamboa. Were a pretty tight-knit community.

Gray said he knows a lot of people who jump.

You think about all the people in your community that you know have jumped over the years or flown out of that airport or taught out of that airport; you just pray it's not somebody you know, Gray said. You pray for the families and the friends of those families that lost loved ones today.

According to Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson, the plane had just taken off for another skydiving flight when it crashed before it could leave the airport.

He said Sunday that family members of those on the flight were among the witnesses on the ground who saw the crash.

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

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

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 told the Associated Press. 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.

Skydive Kansas City 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.

U.S. Rep. Mark Alford (R - 4th District, Missouri) was among those who responded to the community Sunday to offer support.

These investigations take months, sometimes years, but we want to comfort the families and give them the support they need, Alford said. We also want to find out exactly what happened.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will take over the investigation on Monday. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration arrived on scene Sunday afternoon.

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."

RELATED | Its heart-wrenching: Butler community mourns after deadly plane crash

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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