Tragedy Strikes Missouri: 12 Dead in Skydiving Plane Crash
Tragedy Strikes Missouri: 12 Dead in Skydiving Plane Crash
Heartbreaking news from Butler, Missouri, as a skydiving plane crashes, killing all 12 on board. Investigators are on the scene.
A skydiving plane carrying 12 people tragically crashed in Butler, Missouri, on Sunday morning, killing everyone onboard. The aircraft, which was preparing to take passengers on an afternoon skydive, went down near Butler Memorial Airport at approximately 11:30 a.m. and immediately burst into flames.
First responders, including troopers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, rushed to the scene. Sgt. Justin Ewing described the site as “brutal,” but crews successfully extinguished the intense blaze shortly after the crash. The incident occurred in a field close to the airport in Butler, a small town of about 4,300 residents located roughly 65 miles south of Kansas City.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have dispatched teams to the crash site to launch a thorough investigation into the cause. A nearby roadway has been shut down to facilitate their work.
Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director, identified the private plane as a Pacific Aerospace 750XL, a single-engine turboprop model often used for skydiving. He noted that the aircraft, operated by Skydive Kansas City, “had just taken off and made a left turn” before the catastrophic descent.
Jacobs offered his initial assessment, stating, “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, manufactured in 2010, is known for its capacity to carry up to 17 skydivers and operate from short runways. The community is grappling with the profound loss as the investigation continues.
