A pilot and 11 passengers were killed Sunday after their airplane crashed moments after takeoff at a western Missouri airport in one of the deadliest US skydiving plane crashes in decades, authorities said.
The plane had just taken off from Butler Memorial Airport at about 11:35 a.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration said, when it was unable to get visual altitude, made a sharp left turn and crashed about 300 yards from the runway, according to Dennis Jacobs, acting airport manager and Bates County emergency management director.
It crashed in a field next to the airport and became engulfed in flames, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing told The Associated Press.
Jacobs said he believed the plane was losing power.
He believes the pilot, he told the AP, was trying to make it over to the highway and land, and he stalled and went down nose first.
The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation and it could take the National Transportation Safety Board one to two years to determine the cause. Investigators are expected to arrive at the scene on Monday, a spokesperson told CNN.
David Soucie, a CNN aviation safety analyst, echoed Jacob's opinion, but added it's too early to tell what caused the potential drop in power.
The type of engine in the plane is known to be reliable, Soucie said, and the issue could have been caused by water in the fuel or a fuel filter issue, rather than maintenance problems or pilot experience.
The single-engine turboprop plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City.
“This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community,†the company said in a statement to CNN affiliate KCTV. “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 entire team is in shock, and the community is close-knit.â€
A map showing the location of Butler Memorial Airport.
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<div class=”byline__authors vossi-byline_elevate__authors byline__authors–hide-all-images vossi-byline_elevate__authors–hide-all-images”>By <div class=”byline__author vossi-byline_elevate__author”><span class=”byline__name vossi-byline_elevate__name”>Margaret Dawson</span></div></div>
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<div class=”updated”>Updated <time datetime=”2026-06-14T23:41:11.768Z”>Jun 14, 2026, 7:41 PM ET</time></div>
<div class=”timestamp__published vossi-timestamp_elevate__published”>PUBLISHED <time datetime=”2026-06-14T17:51:49.693Z”>Jun 14, 2026, 1:51 PM ET</time></div>
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Video shows aftermath of deadly plane crash
Officials canvassed the crash site on foot and by drone to see if anyone was able to jump out of the plane before it crashed, Jacobs said.
Nine of the victims were experienced skydivers, while two were going to participate in tandem jumps, officials said.
Travis Phippen, who said he lost several friends in the crash, described the incident as “heartbreaking.â€
“The skydiving community is incredibly close-knit, and several of the people on that plane had a profound impact on countless lives—including my own,†he said.
“We all understand and accept that there are inherent risks in this sport, but losing so many friends and respected members of the community at once is absolutely devastating.â€
The victims have not been publicly identified.
Some family members witnessed the crash, officials said.
“This is tough,†said US Rep. Mark Alford, a Missouri Republican. “It's a beautiful day here, blue skies, green grass, people out enjoying something that I think some of these were first-time skydivers preparing to skydive in a tandem formation.â€
Butler Memorial Airport is a small, rural airport about an hour's drive south of Kansas City. It has no scheduled commercial flights, Ewing said. Skydive KC is one of the few companies listed in pilot's guides as providing service at the airport.
It has one runway that is nearly 4,000 feet long and no control tower. Pilots communicate using a common frequency where they announce their intentions.
The airport will remain closed for an undetermined amount of time, the sheriff said.
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<div class=”updated”>Updated <time datetime=”2026-06-14T23:41:11.768Z”>Jun 14, 2026, 7:41 PM ET</time></div>
<div class=”timestamp__published vossi-timestamp_elevate__published”>PUBLISHED <time datetime=”2026-06-14T17:51:49.693Z”>Jun 14, 2026, 1:51 PM ET</time></div>
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Congressman Mark Alford speaks about fatal plane crash
